Because, photography! ( pic heavy )

[Alexz7272]

@Hybridchucks It is so much more indepth then just that. Since the beginning of the invention of the camera, there has always been a level of post-processing. It allows you to bring out the true colors in an image that the human eye see and not just what the camera is able to capture. All professional photographers shoot in raw, not jpeg. This allows you to tweak the image to what you saw in the person, not what the camera perceived (in jpeg it makes those decisions for you)
You do of course get people who go overboard and manipulate an image to the extreme, I am not a fan and professional photographers are not part of that group. It takes time and practice to get good at it and have it look natural. I'll find an image and show you before vs after to show you that it is simple tweaking. I use Lightroom & Photoshop. I worked at a photography studio all through high school and learned alot from my mentor. Post-processing is not something that ruins an image, it enhances the image and any you see out there in any form is post-processed even the tiniest bit, cameras are not equivalent to the human eye even with all our technological advancements. Even an image straight from the camera is altered. If you'd even like to know more, you are more then welcome to message me! I've been practicing and studying it for a while now and I know how daunting it can be!
Remember, photography is a an art form, it is up to the artist how they want an image perceived

 

[Hybridchucks]

Thank you, very well put.

 

[Alexz7272]

SOCC means straight out of camera. As you can see in the final, I simply cropped closer, brightened the image from the full color and removed the scab my nephew has on his chin, not something he is going to want to see when he is older! The SOCC was taken in raw which allowed me to pull the light that was missing when the camera took the image (it tends to be a bit darker so you can get the right exposure when you edit it)

 

[Alexz7272]

Now here is one with more manipulation. My nephew has an amazing imagination, so he loved being 'made into a character' as he put it.

 

[Hybridchucks]

My Camera's zoom is absolutely incredible. Took a picture of the sky with no zoom and zoomed in and took a pic of the moon. Crazy...

 

[Hybridchucks]

The distance, MAN!!!!

 

[Wehner Homestead]

I’m going to have to try this!!

 

[Hybridchucks]

The first pic os of a star. Zoom up, its amazing.

 

[Bruce]

Wow. What is the zoom on the camera? I've not tried looking at the moon but I really doubt my 60X is going to be as big and detailed as what you have there.

 

[Bruce]

OK, had to go out and move Anais from a nest box to the brooding area. I cleaned out the entire coop today and put down new shavings and installed the brooder area for the chicks that should arrive Tue or Wed. Here are my two moon shots - 60X optical. Could have used a tripod!: