As I've gotten deeper into the process I've become more of a purist, I think.... its always been my feeling that photos that look like paintings etc. really are not photographs to me (emphasis on the to me part) wouldn't want to offend anyone ..... However anything that can be done in a darkroom from solarizing to montaging, sepia toning, cyan toning, dodging, burning, sharpening, etc, etc, can also be done in photoshop ..... And unstrung's reminder that Ansel Adams was indeed a very big user of postwork albeit the old fashioned way, should be kept in mind. I don't know too many people, even professionals, that can take an image straight out of the camera and have it look fabulous.... especially after being digitized. Simply scanning an image from a negative, softens it, often throws off colors and contrast... They need to be postworked to bring them back to the way they looked in the original print. I sometimes find it humorous the way people will proclaim no postwork was done as if doing postwork were a bad thing. 8~P ..... or maybe they're just proud of their skills.... shrug Again no offense meant to anyone.... simply my opinion...

I am, therefore I create.......
--- michelleamarante.com