Landscape Photography Magazine

“What is it that you really like in a picture? Does it make any difference if that picture has been set up or manipulated in one way or another? Dimitri Vasileiou shares his thoughts on this highly debatable subject”

Every so often, I receive questions about some of my images, such as, “did you put the leaf there”? The answer is, “no, I didn’t, as I couldn’t reach it, though I wish it had been possible”. My next reaction usually is, so what if I had put it there? Does it really matter, and does it make any difference to you, the viewer? This supplied me with food for thought and is the reason for this article. What is it that you really like in a picture? Is it the view; the sunset colours perhaps; the stunning composition that brings out the beauty of a location? Let me extend this a little further. How many times do we wonder if the colours in a picture are real or even if the compositional elements have been manipulated in Photoshop? Is it really important what we think has been done to it, or is the final result and our deep affection for it really all that should matter?

Take this image for instance. How…