Its strange that for some individuals the topic can be so divisive when it comes up in conversation. Having a collaborative, open minded conversation can be challenging. Some believe that SOOC is the only true way to achieve a final image, others shoot strictly RAW because they believe it will give you the ability to produce a rendering close to what they saw visually through the viewfinder in post. For each group, both are correct!
The facts and history on this topic seem to be long forgotten though, post production enhancement has long been a part of photography.
Enhancing images began over 170 years ago in the darkroom or “wet lab”. For historical value post production began in the 1840s–1850s. Retouching negatives tinting and hand coloring were common practices for daguerreotypes (Invented by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre in 1839, the daguerreotype was the first public photographic process, producing unique, incredibly detailed positive images on silver-plated copper sheets. William Henry Fox Talbot utilized paper negatives that allowed for alterations and enhancements (patented as the calotype process in 1841).
With the introduction of the Kodak camera (1888 by George Eastman) a good portion of post-processing moved away from the photographer to commercial labs but editing continued as part of the photo finishing” process. Kodak used filters to achieve proper color rendition when going to print. Those individuals that possessed the financial resources had the ability to establish labs and learn/use many of the techniques commercial labs used in the post production process. Was that deception?
• 1889: The paper film was replaced with transparent celluloid roll film.
• 1900: The “Brownie” camera was introduced, making photography even more affordable for the general public.
• 1925: The Leica I was released, popularizing the 35mm format, others followed.
• 1986: Disposable, single-use cameras were introduced.
1950s–1980s retouching and airbrushing made its way into the post processing process. Manual techniques were used to edit photos for publication(s) such as airbrushing to remove, alter, or improve images.
As we continued to move into the 19th century photographers used techniques such as dodging and burning to adjust light exposure on specific areas of the print and the combination of multiple negatives to create a single image (in today’s world, stacking).
When the introduction of digital photography first became available to consumers in the late 1980s to early 1990s photographers in the US had the Dycam Model 1 available to them if they had the resources to purchase one. (digital cameras were commonly available by 1995).
Adobe Photoshop saw the opportunity and seized it releasing PS 1.0 releasing it in February 1990. It was developed by Thomas and John Knoll (licensed by Adobe in 1988). The only limitation was that the original version was released only for Apple computers. At that time the digital darkroom was born.
With the advancement digital photo processing it alleviated photographers of many hours in the manual wet darkroom completing labor-intensive processes and the post-production necessities. To this day I still remember how much I enjoyed the smell of the lab but for anyone that processed film to paper, while enjoyable you know how long it took to bring a quality image to paper.
Within the evolution of photography, the simple truth is the computer has replaced the wet darkroom. All or most of the elements used in a wet darkroom, burning and dodging, align/straighten, cropping, adjusting exposure, refining skin tones (filters) and contrast have moved from a stainless-steel film developing tank, easel and enlarger to a desktop.
This advancement to a digital darkroom gave photographers the ability to realize their vision, produce professional results and achieve a rendering that closely resembles what they observed through their viewfinder. It also greatly improved their workflow and the pace at which the final results could be achieved benefiting both the photographer and the consumer.
Most photographers shoot RAW for only one reason; it gives them more information/data to work with in the post-processing stage, to attain the best rendering of what they saw through the viewfinder. The majority of professional photographers now consider that the image captured in a digital camera is only half of the process in achieving a true rendering and their vision.
The rational for retouching is to achieve one goal; accurately depict the image capture. As an example, flesh tones, remove facial imperfections and improving the overall look and feel of the image, enabling photographer the ability to create professional quality visual content. If you are a professional it is not an aspiration to achieve this goal, if you desire to maintain or build a successful business, it is what the client expects. Whether professional or hobbyist digital post production gives the photographer the ability to achieve their visual impact.
There is a significant difference between post-production enhancements and photo manipulation. One is finishing an image, leaving the original content intact but using improved tools to achieve your original rendering, vision and produce professional results.