is post processing making you a better photographer?

[Darv]

Hi,
I my first main post, this is a great site for learning, thanks to you all for your input.
I just wondered, i hear often that post processing is making some photographers lazy, yet i am finding the opposite. I have reached some kind of plateuu with my post processing skills and am finding that the image is not coming out how i visualised it when shooting. This is taking me back to the camera, making me spend more time thinking about the image, the settings etc and in turn driving my photography forwards. is anyone else experiencing this? how much of a role does post processing play in the creation of your final image?

regards

Darv

[Andy Somnifac]

Post processing has always played a role in the creation of images, both film and digital. People are just becoming more aware of it with digital now that they are doing it themselves. If you look at an Ansel Adams photo, you're not looking at a raw print. You're looking at a print that has more post processing done to it than most prints you'll ever see.

[gparr]

When I first started using digital I would have said that post-processing was allowing me to be sloppy and at one time was concerned that Photoshop and human nature were going to combine to prevent me from improving as a photographer. I now say the opposite. I've grown to hate doing extensive post-processing on images I know I should have exposed properly in the first place, so I work harder to get the initial exposure/composition correct so basic post-processing is minimized. It's nice to know that Photshop is available for extreme situations and one-time shots where I make a mistake or don't have time to do a proper exposure. But I no longer use it as a crutch for sloppy photography.
Gary

[FredG]

I totally agree. For a time, it was nice to be able to make most shots usable by cropping, cloning, fixing exposures, etc. But that wore thin as I got more prolific snapping the shutter. The challenge now is to continue improving my skills so I'll actually have some time away from the computer to take pictures.

[Anders Östberg]

Post processing is integral to photography, especially with digital SLRs that at least require some basic adjustments of levels, color, contrast etc, and some sharpening. I do hope to improve at getting the shot as right as possible out of the camera - I have a long way to go there - but in the meantime I'm doing more work in Photoshop.

[NikNikon]

This is a great thread, I was happy to see all the positive responses for post processing. The ultimate goal is to shoot a picture and have it come out the way you in visioned, but having a tool that can bring life back into something marred by human error is invaluable. It could be something as little as forgetting you left your white balance set for direct sunlight then taking out your camera later that night and shooting something just happening with a flash and forgetting to adjust your settings for your new setting so to speak. I agree with Darv's (welcome by the way) analogy that working with these images makes you think more out in the field. Working on these images myself keeps me thinking every time I take out my camera but I always look forward to the post processing too since I love doing things in a creative sense. Having this medium that allows you to do these creative things before and after the picture is taken is the ultimate in the world of photography.