Brooks Jensen published a very provocative article in the current issue of Lenswork. He delves into a topic that I’ve thought about ever since I first picked up a digital camera. It relates to the question of whether or not it is OK to manipulate photographs. I’ve always contended that it is not only OK but, at least for the kind of photography I do, it is required. The photographs I create reflect my interpretation of the natural world around us. Therefore, their subjects and contents are going to reflect something of me.
Jensen goes several steps farther by identifying three major types of photography – Documentary, Personal Narrative and Imaginative. Jensen describes Documentary photography as telling “someone else’s story.” What a great way of describing it. Clearly, then, in documentary photography, the photographer strives to be as true to the subject as possible and minimize or eliminate his or her own coloration or bias. The goal is total objectivity.
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