Since I shoot primarily for publication – as well as to share my discoveries with others – I strive for a realistic blend of art and information. As a result, for my photojournalistic type of photographs (the vast majority of my work - as opposed to the rare "creative art" image), I never use strong filters or computer manipulations to alter the colors or add/delete key elements in a scene.

Nonetheless, certain common accessories and techniques can help narrow the gap between what the eye sees and what the camera records. For example:

Filters ... to bring out the natural colors in a scene or to reduce contrast.

Minor digital alterations: Boosts in color, contrast, etc., are necessary to turn a Raw digital capture into an image that faithfully records a scene. Plus, I'll turn to the digital darkroom to fix slight image flaws (i.e., digital sensor spots or film scratches) or to resurrect slide quality lost in the scanning process.