oh yes, much learning to be had. If you have manipulated a photo beyond all recognition, not just tweaked the colours and such, then it is... *drum roll* a photo manipulation.
A photo of you turning your face with "goth" make up on, is not art if it's blurry, too close, the contrast is too high, it by definition, the photo sucks. Guess what. That's not art, nobody wants to look at that except your fellow "oh so goth" people.