Photoshoping...yes or no?

Hey everyone!!

As I am going through my blog reader I ran up on a great blog post from Addicted 2 Decorating.  She is discussing her thoughts on Photoshoping as a Blogger.  Whether certain things are "acceptable" to change, and not to change.  What are the "limits" a blogger should take in their items being photoshoped.  Does it make a blogger dishonest if they photoshop their pictures?  Or what is the level of photoshoping of pictures "acceptable"? 

As a fairly new blogger, I don't know much about photoshoping.  Yes, I re size all of my photos and add a watermark showing it is from my blog.  However, I do not know enough about changing the lighting, adding elements, taking away items to do them on my photos.  So what are my thoughts about this?

As a new blogger, sewer, and "serious" crafter....I do kind of find it a little sad.  Do I believe that EVERY.SINGLE.AMAZING.PICTURE that is shown on my favorite blogs turn out to perfection every single time?  No, I know not everything is perfect every single time.  However, I do believe that there is a standard to what bloggers should "fudge" on their projects/pictures.  I mean, with me being newer to crafting and sewing I like to know all of the steps and see pictures showing the good AND bad.    If I am following a specific tutorial on a project and mine turn out to be junk...when theirs is perfect I wonder what I did wrong.  I am hard on myself trying to figure out what I did wrong.  I feel that if you are a real person, blogging, showing how to do certain things, being real, that you shouldn't have to photoshop every picture and make it look so easy and perfect, when in all actuality...yours didn't look that great to begin with either.  I feel like it is slightly "lying" to all of the wonderful readers and followers that you have.

Now, with me saying that, I do realize that beauty sells.  Everyone wants to see beautiful and perfect pictures.  I mean, I know magazines are photoshoped and edited.  But, they are also in that "business".  They are not stay at home mom bloggers, or craft bloggers, they are in the business to make money.  And where some blogs are good enough to start making money off of it, I feel that their stories, and pictures should still be truthful to the readers that are supporting them. 

If a person lightens up a picture, good!  Teach me how!  I am consistent at taking dark pictures and I would love to learn how to lighten them up.  ;)  If you are "finishing" a project that you are dying to post by "painting" the rest of it through photoshop....when in all actuality it is still two different colors, or still unpainted wood.....I do not think that is being honest to your readers.  If you are good enough to "take out" cords/outlets in your photos to make them look more professional then that is fine.  I guess my stance on it is....show your readers what your projects REALLY look like.  The junk around the projects don't matter.  Does that make since?

These are my thoughts on Photoshoping as a blogger.  So, hop on over to Addicted 2 Decorating, read, and let me know your thoughts on the subject.  I would love to know what everyone thinks about this.