More or less what I was trying to say. Kevin David Young <dnr@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: At 1/11/2005, you wrote: >David, This is a sticky ethical area. Your own moral compass need to help >guide you. Before digital it was considered OK to pin branches back to >clean up a fore or background. I would think you are OK on this it doesn't >change the over all context of the picture. I also think labeling it is >important. >Kevin Hi Kevin! What? Me? A moral compass? Certainly, sir, you jest! ;-) Having thought much about this, and read what folks here and on the LEG have said, I believe I'm with you... This all started with my Eagle in the snow shot, posted a week or so ago. It was cropped out of a larger shot (OK) but this left some small tips of branches intruding from the right hand side. I removed them, the same way I'd dodge them out when making a silver print. It improved the composition yet did not alter the habitat or otherwise alter the effect of the photo. And, when I posted it, I labeled it as such. Mark Bohrer's comment about the 'pesky branches' in the background is what prompted me to try to remove them. And here, I agree with Doug. If the photo was to be used to illustrate the bird (as in a birding guide) then it's OK, because it enhances the clarity of the subject. But if it's to illustrate almost anything else, it would be a no-no. Thanks for your thoughts. They're good ones! ---------- David Young, | égalité, liberté, Victoria, CANADA | fraternité et Beaujolais. Personal Web-site at: http://www.horizon.bc.ca/~dnr Leica Reflex Forum web-page: http://www.horizon.bc.ca/~dnr/lrflex.htm ------ Unsubscribe or change to/from Digest Mode at: www.horizon.bc.ca/~dnr/lrflex.htm Archives are at: www.freelists.org/archives/leicareflex/ --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Helps protect you from nasty viruses.