Truth, Justice, and the artist’s way.

There is truth, justice, and then the artist’s way. While they can all coexist but often they don’t. These things aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive but they oftentimes don’t play well together. Let’s take a look at the original version of the featured image.

The version above is the way the camera saw the scene. It’s not nearly as compelling. Ah, if we adjust the exposure it will all be better you say. Maybe. I’ll get a bit more technical for a moment.

For those who may be a bit unfamiliar, the image above is a screenshot of the original image’s histogram in Photoshop CC. My camera would show this as a good exposure, neither under or over exposed.

When I was at this location taking this photograph my eyes perceived it to be much more dramatic than what was captured by my camera. Due to recent rains the colors were much more saturated looking. The sky and clouds much more ominous looking.

This is often the conflict I have with the truth in photography. I view much of the world, especially when out taking photographs, with the eyes of an artist. In viewing the world like this, my final image fulfills the truth, justice, and the artist’s way. To me, this is the truth. To me, fulfilled giving the scene its justice. To others, I may have changed the truth and did an injustice to the reality by fulfilling the artist’s way.

I live by the code of what I believe is true to an artist. Have I achieved the level to call myself an artist? Maybe or maybe not, that I’ll leave for you to decide. To me, I believe I succeed sometimes and fail sometimes.

Establish your truth, justice, and artist’s way. Set yourself free from the expectations of others.