The photographer accused of using Photoshop that does not hide the original images

Lilia Alvarado fell in love with photography after the birth of her twin daughters. Born in Russia and living in the USA for years, she has become a famous child and family photographer who shares her beautiful work with her followers on Instagram and Facebook. Lilia does not hide that the images are edited.

Not long ago, Lilia had to face some strong comments and even questions about her work on the Internet, but she managed to respond in kind.

Check out the stories that Lilia’s photos carry and see how she defended her talent and her point of view tooth and nail.

First, let’s see Lilia’s most beautiful works.

The aggressive comments started popping up a little while ago. Some users blamed the photographer for frequently using Photoshop and other editing programs. Some people even questioned whether her work could really be called photography.

Lilia wondered why some people are so furious with image editors. Does an edited photo really have no right to be called real?

It was then that Lilia began to respond. First, she began to remind people that photos began to be edited from the moment the first camera appeared. Photographers could chemically and mechanically eliminate unnecessary elements from their work. In the pre-digital era, cameras could not clearly capture the subject in the foreground and background, so the sky always appeared as a monochrome blur. It was then that photographers began to combine 2 negatives to obtain a complete photograph. This is one of the first ‘edited’ works by Jean-Baptiste Gustave Le Gray, made in 1857.

Not even modern technology can always correctly convey the colors we see. In order not to store mountains of images that are too light, or on the contrary, too dark, we can ‘fix’ them with a photo editor. And that’s how the photos transport us to the happy moments of life, and not to an uncomfortable memory that it was not possible to register.

Lilia also said that the use of Photoshop is unacceptable if the objective is to deceive the viewer. In pursuit of sensationalist news, photographers can falsify the plot of the image and present their ‘victim’ in an unfavorable context. The aim of artistic photography is not to present a precise and detailed world, but to show the author’s vision, feelings and personal opinion.

Finally, Lilia decided to show her followers the original images. They were also beautiful. Lilia does not hide that she edits the images, but she does it to convey what, for her, represents the recorded moment. The aim is not to hide defects and get positive feedback.

Lilia also offers editing classes on her website and on her YouTube channel. We believe that her opinion is valid, since, as we know, almost all movies have special effects and that doesn’t mean we call them fake.

A good editing job is also a sign of professionalism. Do you think that if all photographers showed their ‘before/after’ we would be able to appreciate your art?

Share your opinion about it in the comments. What do you think of Lilia’s work? Do you prefer images before or after editing?