jtbell said:
Some may consider this to be "cheating", but image-editing software can often improve the appearance a lot. I used the "Levels" tool in Photoshop to produce this:
[...]
The "Curves" tool gives you more flexibility, but takes more practice to use effectively.
It's absolutely fine to process your photos.
It's not cheating, it's doing your due diligence.
Even back in the days of film, the great photographers spent lots and lots of time in the darkroom. Trust me, Ansel Adams did not just drop off his film at the corner Fotomat and call it a day.
Getting the image onto the film in the camera (or these days the digital sensor) is only the first step in the process of photography. It is
not the last.
These days, the endless hours of work in the darkroom choosing of the appropriate photographic print paper, contrast filters, calculation of exposure time of the enlarger, dodging/burning techniques, etc., have been replaced by the endless hours on the computer using histogram transformations, curves, level adjustments, contrast adjustments, white balance correction, etc.
It's all a necessary part of the photographic process.
)
.
