There are purists who believe photography should not be edited and there are those that believe photography is a form of art and editing is a form of artistic expression. How much editing is too much? The use of AI is becoming much more prevalent. A small blemish can be airbrushed out or entire objects can be removed. Does this lessen the integrity of the photograph? Or does it allow the photographer to shape the photograph how it should be seen?
I believe looking at a photograph should bring up feelings and emotions. My hope would be that I can present the photograph in a way that allows others to see and feel what I felt when I took the picture. I try not to manipulate photos too much because I think they lose that initial feel.
Anything can be faked and AI is getting much better. It's not perfect though. I think what AI is missing is that feeling. Art should make us think and feel and maybe push the envelope or be a little provocative. Get us thinking outside the box. AI doesn't have that pizzazz.
This particular photo that I took has no edits. Not even a crop. I liked it right out of the camera. I'm not a purist. I do edit some of my photos and some I over edit to make art. It's kind of fun. Ideally, I would love photos to go straight from my camera to a social media post or to print. The truth is sometimes the colors look flat, or the lighting is off. It's a fun debate.