Jim Lind Photo

As a photographer and digital artist I often have people ask me if my images are real. It’s no secret that I enhance almost every image I use and often composite several images just to create one final piece. To traditionalists and purists who disagree with the heavy handed use of Photoshop, I say look at the history of photography. Since it’s birth in 1827 by Nicephore Niepce, a photo has always shown an altered sense of reality although I would love for someone to disagree with me .

In the 1850′s photographers were already altering the appearance of photographs to fit their personal visions. Gustave Le Gray was creating HDR images by combining a well exposed sky with a well exposed ground to create a more “pleasing” photograph which in turn actually showed a closer view of what the human eye actually sees. Oscar Rejlander and Henry Peach Robinson were taking multiple exposures and combining them onto the same plate to create a “combine” (or what we call composite photography). Which brings me to Jerry Uelsmann who is one of the more famous photographers in our generation for his work in the 1950′s to the current day. He is known to use up to 12 enlargers, each with different masked negatives to create his elaborate images.

While by no means am I accepting all manipulated imagery to be great or even decent (in fact it has only elevated the number of bad images from imitators). What I am saying is that it has it’s place in the world of photography whether it was created in the wet darkroom or digital darkroom (Photoshop). My aim is and always has been to create a story for the viewer to relate to even if it is a negative reaction. I’m just here to make an image that will make you smile, frown, laugh, question, or dare I even say… think for yourself.

I just updated my process page to show breakdowns of my new series “Prophecy” as well as my “City of Exile” series in just 5 “simple” steps. Feel free to comment, ask questions, or show your general lack of respect for digital imagery