Altering photos with Photoshop

I've obviously developed a real love for photography over this last month.  As I learn more each day, I find myself gravitating toward a purist view of this art form.  In other words, at this time, I do not alter my photos with Photoshop.  The only thing I use Photoshop for is to resize the images for my web pages.  I have not even used the software to modify the brightness and contrast of my pictures.  Sharpening photos using Photoshop is used by a lot of folks and there is simply nothing wrong with that.  Many folks are very good with image software and can make their pictures look eye-popping using these tools.  Maybe someday in the future I will become more advanced with Photoshop and begin experimenting more heavily with altering my photos.  However, at this time, I'm very much in the learning process and want to focus my attention on creating pictures with the proper exposure levels using the camera and my skills rather than fixing the photos after the fact with software.  I do a lot of comparing my shots with other folks in order continue to learn.  A great resource for me has been the pBase ( Photography Database ) Website.