Why I don't edit my [blog] photos

On my websites and in my Instagram feeds, you won’t find a synthetic color scheme, the photos seamlessly flowing from one to the next. I made this decision consciously, and I wanted to explain why. In a way, I’m also trying to understand why some travel bloggers choose to edit their photos in this way. I don’t want to judge them, or the audience that may appreciate their feeds. I understand the desire to create pretty things, and the appreciation one can have for them. But when I come across feeds like this: highly saturated, tonally similar photos, I am not amused. Just confused.

I am not referring to artistic editing, such as the creative decision to use black & white or 35 mm film, but slapping on “presets” - one-click settings that will alter (distort) the image. I see so many bloggers highlight the before and after of their photos, which resemble each other only in the indestructible part of the image - the landmark or landscape itself. They also conveniently have them for purchase - you can make your photos look just like theirs! I can’t understand wanting to take something you captured (itself difficult terminology; do we really have the right to take these photos in the first place?) and to then put someone else’s perspective on it? And why would bloggers want other people to copy their photos, or to put their vision on photos they didn’t take? None of this makes sense to me.

I had to accept that if I wanted a picture of the Shwedagon Pagoda, in Yangon, Myanmar, I was going to have a photo of the light-post as well

Beyond that, I ask myself, why change the image at all? I sometimes edit my pictures on Instagram: brightening the photo or making the image sharper. I also love to use portrait mode on the iPhone. But I only do this to convey more accurately what it was I saw in person, what it was I wanted to share. Photos on travel feeds are usually of nature’s wonders, history’s landmarks, and hip new discoveries. These places are already beautiful, impressive, and cool, both in their appearances, and in the stories they tell. Isn’t their pure state of existence enough?

Beautiful Bagan, Myanmar, no filter needed

I don’t want to feel fake or dishonest, so I will sacrifice the perfectly hued feed. I also refuse to “erase” people out of my photos. This is another trick I see bloggers advising. But let that sink in, you are literally taking an eraser and canceling out the people who were in the photo, like they don’t exist, like they don’t have every right to be there. I agree, I don’t like when there are people in my photos either! I work around this by choosing an angle so that I am only taking a photo of what it is I want to see. Also, I want to consider that the other tourists and people going about their daily lives probably don’t want to be in my picture or all over my social media.

I feel that the types of editing I’ve described remove everything that is unique about the photo one is taking. There are millions of pictures of the world’s famous sights, but no two are the same. Each has ingrained in its image the perspective of the person who took it - their worldview, their soul. Additionally, when all of one’s photos are subjected to the same generic template, it also removes what is unique about those places. Their essence is muted by filters that render them indistinguishable from each other. We should be highlighting what makes the different places of our world special, not seeking to make them conform to our parameters of what is acceptable to post on social media.

A good bet to not have people in your photos is take a picture of the cactus; South Mountain, Phoenix, USA

My final point is that I want to be clear I am not referring to editing or modifying for the sake of art, for creating something new, for sharing your vision. Which means I must respect it if someone presents a feed like this as their vision. As an artist and creator, I am very sensitive to that. Photography and graphic design are both things I’m interested in learning more about. However, in my critical opinion, striving for imitation and identical settings do not represent creation or vision. Aesthetic and style are virtues all their own, and they can’t be bought.

We should be striving to make the real world a more beautiful place that we want to share with others, instead of doctoring our photos to create a dream that is not meant to inspire, but to deceive.

Pristine natural beauty, just as I saw it; Wyoming, USA

Note: I don’t believe any photos on The Lemon Abroad have been edited. I know of at least two photos on my personal website that I used the Instagram-ed version instead of the raw image. However, out of both laziness (editing photos takes effort!) and the desire to represent to The Lemon Abroad community an accurate portrayal of the beautiful locations featured here, I intend to only post the original images.

P.S. This sentiment applies to my work on The Lemon Abroad, not my own personal artistic pursuits. The Lemon Abroad is a travel blog, and it’s meant to inspire people to travel, but also to help them. And I believe the best way to do that is to realistically present travel and destinations, which sometimes means dull lighting and crowds of tourists. C’est la vie!

P.P.S. The header image is a totally unfiltered sunset I saw in Wang Nam Yen, the town where I used to live in Thailand. How beautiful is Mother Nature when we just let her do her thing!