A Commentary on Photo Legitimacy

Interesting question.  Ansel Adams and his contemporaries manipulated their pictures a lot.  Dodging, burning, etc.  I think it's all fine, but you should always start with the best possible image you can capture.  PP can't cure bad composition, lousy focus, or really blown highlights and shadows.

My opinion is that I don't care how much post processing someone does so long as they disclose it to the viewer.  Doing a lot of PP and then pretending you didn't is shady.