Editing in Photography

I wonder why some people love to edit their pictures. Why? I don’t know why. I myself don’t like to edit photos. I feel a photo should stay the way it is. Only original photo can portray the true message. A photo should and must always captured from the heart through observative eyes. What's the point of a photo if it’s not original?

I love originality and authenticity. Only through an original unedited photo, audience can feel the heart of the photographer.

This is one of the many reasons why i never like to take model shots. My works always focus on candid shots which contain more natural and honest emotions. Emotions should be expressed freely and without being planned.

A photo is like a life. If a photo is edited, it is a fake photo. A fake photo is like a clon human. A clon human is never as real as a real human. It is a human without soul.

All this while since I got serious into photography back in 2003, I always stand firm on my principle not to edit pictures. I never like to edit pictures. But then in a commercial photography, photographers edit their photos to give different moods and to make the pictures look better. I only touch up pictures that were taken in a bad weather or when it’s for a customer. Example: wedding and event photos.

Edit and touch up are two different things. Touch up is slightly less changes in editing. There are very minor changes only in touching up of photos compared to editing.

I always believe that a good photo always come from a good photographer, not a good gadget.

Don’t get offended. Im not critisizing anyone. Im just expressing my view. This post is not to condemn anyone who edit their photos. If you feel comfortable in editing photos, go ahead. Photography itself is a very subjective field to be explained and interpreted.

Villages on The Ocean

This is part of the 6 Chinese clan jetties in Weld Quay, Penang where the houses are built on the water. The clan jetties used to stay by those who shared the same surname. But now, it's open to anyone and even migrants workers are staying here. The younger generations are moving out to town to get better living. This living heritage legacy serves as a reminder to the past on the hardship by the forefathers who came from China. This clan jetties must be preserved as it have a lot of history, cultural and social values.