This edition of The Nightmare Collection deals with the issue of Photography vs Photomanipulation. No, it's not a battle or a 'one is better than the other' kind of deal. It's a 'both are valid types of art' and 'where should I put my pictures on dA?' kind of deal. The aim of this article is to explain the difference between photography and photomanipulation (in terms of dA and the galleries here), to help people decide which gallery their art should be placed in and also to show off some amazing horror images - both photographs and photomanipulations.



THE GALLERY DESCRIPTIONS
You can find the descriptions for each gallery as you go through the submission process. When you have selected a gallery, just click on the 'Gallery Info' button to see what it's all about.

Photography --> Horror & Macabre
Photography: Pictures taken with a film or a digital camera featuring a very minimal level of digital manipulation. Photographs that feature a significant amount of digital manipulation should be filed under Digital Art: Photomanipulation.
Horror & Macabre: Photographs with a focus on the frightening, grotesque and disturbing.

Digital Art --> Photomanipulation --> Macabre & Horror
Digital Art: Digital Art, unlike traditional, means artwork originally created via the use of digital tools that mimic traditional utensils such as computer imaging/3D software, digital pen & tablet, computer mouse, or any similar tools.
Photomanipulation: The Photomanipulation section is dedicated to digital photographs that have undergone post processing and/or editing via the use of a graphical imaging software. The extent of manipulation should be prominent and noticeable in ways where it can be clearly distinguishable from the unaltered photograph.
Macabre & Horror: Photomanipulations suggesting the horror of death and decay and/or instilling an intense, painful feeling of repugnance and fear should be placed here.



NOT SURE WHERE YOUR ART SHOULD GO?
It's pretty much impossible to exactly define what creates that line between photography and photomanipulation because so much can be done with an image inside a camera, in a traditional darkroom and with a computer. Some people say that if anything at all has been done to an image post-production, it is photomanipulation. Others feel that minor adjustments, such as altering colour balance or removing small blemishes, are acceptable. This has the potential to be an endless argument with no winner, and out there in the 'real world' it often isn't hugely important (plenty of photos you'll see in galleries or magazines have been dramatically altered either in a darkroom or using a computer).

However, in the interest of keeping dA a great place to browse, it is important that you place your work in the correct gallery. While photographers and photomanipulators often employ similar knowledge in creating their work, the two types of art do involve the use of very different sets of skills which should be respected in their own right. If you've created a horror/macabre image and aren't sure whether to place it in the Photography gallery or the Digital Art gallery, here are some things to think about.

Did you use someone else's photograph to create your artwork?
If you manipulation a stock image created by someone else, then you have made a photomanipulation which belongs in the Digital Art gallery (and don't forget to credit your stock artist!).

Have you applied a texture (or numerous textures) to the image after taking the photo?
If you've added a texture to a part of the image, most of the image, or the whole image you have manipulated the photograph significantly, meaning that it belongs in the Photomanipulation gallery.

Is the main element (or one of the main elements) of the image something that you added after taking the photo?
If you took a photograph of a pair of eyes and then made the irises and pupils white (for example), the main element of the image has been added afterwards. If you took a photograph of a person holding a knife to their throat and added blood afterwards using Photoshop brushes, the main element of the image has been added afterwards. These images belong in the Photomanipulation gallery. If you had used white contact lenses or fake blood in creating the images, they would belong on Photography.

Have you combined two or more photographs to create your artwork?
If you have overlaid one photograph on to another, for example to create a ghost or a second figure in a room, you have significantly altered the image and it therefore belongs in the Photomanipulation gallery. While this is possible in the darkroom, I'm sure that most darkroom users would still consider it a dramatic manipulation of the original images.



RECURRING NIGHTMARES
Here are some photography (on the left) and photomanipulation (on the right) examples of recurring themes in the horror/macabre galleries. Look at them, enjoy them and don't forget to drop by the artists' galleries to show your support.

Blood/Bath


Surgery Gone Wrong


Stitched-up Hands


Autopsy


Demonic Children


Claustrophobia


Arachnophobia


Evil Nurses


Injections


Haunting


Crazy Eyes





_{I checked the descriptions of all these images to ensure the best I could that they do belong to the artists who submitted them. If you discover otherwise, please don't publicly name and shame any artists - it's against policy and it's not very nice.}