Looking at this image of a pair of grizzly bears foraging on a grassy plain, I can't get over how brilliant the composition is. The first bear dominates the foreground and is captured from a truly unique angle.
Then, in the background, there's the second bear facing the opposite direction, creating a sense of balance. Overall, the frame seems to capture the beauty and tranquility of nature from a perspective that very few photographers have.
But what I can't understand is the unrealistic and, honesty, bizarre final edit. It seems to undo all the excellent in-camera decisions made in that moment by a wildlife photographer who, judging by their Instagram, produces top-notch work.
The image appears at the end of this Reel:
Editing tools like Lightroom put so much creative power at our fingertips, but the choices you make need to play into the overall messaging of the image.
And this is where the photographer gets it wrong for me. This is just my personal opinion, but the unrealism of the colors, the palpable contrast, as well as the ineffective use of shadows, contradict the realism of wildlife photography.
It’s always your choice as to how far you push color, contrast and lighting in post-production. But, if you're asking me, when photographing something as real as wildlife or landscapes, your edits should reflect this.
If you watch the first half of the video from which this image comes, you see a more accurate depiction of what the light and colors were like during this moment.
Of course, the smartphone on which the video was recorded leaves things looking a little flat, so the photographer would've at least needed to restore this.
ABOVE: A fantastic series of grizzly bear images from the same photographer – proof that experienced craftsmen don't always get it right
But, in my view, he should’ve leaned into the natural color and lighting, and simply enhanced it. Instead he changed the bright, hazy daylight to a deep, twilight purple and hid the details in the bear's furry face with dark shadows, creating a clear mismatch between composition and creative touches.
I’m not trying to crap all over this photographer. This guy shoots great wildlife images and, as an inexperienced wildlife photographer, I could learn lots from him.
But this image stands as a brilliant example of how in digital photography, editing is just as important as composition. Granted, a bad composition will always make a bad photo regardless of how good the editing may be – but getting it right in camera can easily be undone by a questionable edit.
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