3 things Fineart photographers DO NOT DO - Part 2 - Photo Purism

On our long journey as a fineart photographer we often learn about things that we need to do, but seldom do we talk about WHAT NOT TO DO & I think it's equally important that we know what not to do. In this 3 part series I talk about three common mistakes I myself have committed in the past and also see others do time and again, which are easy to spot & avoid. 

This is Part 2

2) Photo Purism  - Now this point has potential for igniting a controversy. As an artist any photographer has the right to showcase his or her creations as per their vision. That simply means that as a fineart photographer an artist is at the liberty to alter reality as they see fit. Now the mistake most photographers make is they confuse "Photo Documentation" with "Photo Representation" and try to pass of Representation as Documentation. A photographer who is bound by Photo Documentation has absolutely no room for alteration. On the other hand a photographer who is pursuing artistic representation has all the creative liberties to alter anything that he or she chooses to. It's upto the photographer to decide which route they want to take when they bring their images to the world. While it's completely fine to alter reality and colour your elephant Pink, it's NOT ok to state that there is actually a Pink elephant in reality. If you alter something that is not obvious, it forms the duty of the photographer to call out the alteration before anything else. 

Now what's your take on this? Are you in for Representation or for Documentation?

Want to learn how to bring your imaginary visions to life? Checkout our Enchanted Realms online training

Want to learn more about Art and how Representation and Documentation differ? Checkout our Art of Fineart Photography online training .

To read Part 1 - Photo Constipation