Did it really look like that?
04/30/2011
A question I’m occasionally asked is whether the image really looked that way. Or more specifically, are those the real colors? I understand why people ask the question, but have always felt in doing so they miss the point. A better question might be whether I intended the image to look that way.
It’s probably a safe assumption that everyone who has asked me the question owns a camera and has no doubt been disappointed with some of their results. And so it’s easy to see how their experience, far removed from my own, could lead to their skepticism. I could explain to them how my images benefit from professional optics, film and paper; or how I’ve cultivated years of experience to hone my eye for compelling compositions. And I could discuss further how lens choice, camera format and point of view affect realism. But in doing so, I would miss the point.
The simple truth is that for all the aforementioned reasons, a photograph can never perfectly represent the intended subject. But hopefully it perfectly represents the intended message. And therein is the crux of the issue. As an artist my aim is to create a meaningful image to communicate the desired message. To that end, my camera serves as a conduit to express a vision from the moment of capture through the final output. And for this reason, how closely the final image is to the original scene carries little significance.
And why should it? Why should color photography be held to a different standard than any other creative discipline? Shouldn’t a photographer be granted the same creative license as a painter? And from which, shouldn’t they be permitted to manipulate an image to serve their purpose? I’d much rather see a photographer print a blue sky, green, than attempt to record the scene exactly as he saw it. Because to do the later, you’re creating nothing, to do the former, you’re making it your own.
Of course all of this is well and good providing the photographer is truthful with their disclosure. And while there’s never an obligation to disclose, there is an obligation to be honest when doing so. This brings me back to the original question, “did it really look that way”? The answer of course, is it looks the way I envisioned.
Of course, there will always be those who look only at technique, who ask “how,” while others of a more curious nature will ask “why.” Personally, I have always preferred inspiration to information. – Man Ray
