Texture

I continued my research into the subject of texture by using various transparent materials to help “filter” the elements I photographed, imbuing them with an impressionistic feel. I obtained the best results by using “Cling Wrap”.

I also discovered that by making holes in the material, I could play with clear and blurred effects to achieve engaging results.

I also took images of white sky after adding improvised filters to my lens. Next, I chose photos that were seemingly conventionally executed. With the help of a Photoshop software application, I then superimposed on them the photographs I took using filters fabricated primarily from various pieces of garbage I found along the shoreline. I think that some of the resulting images appear to be rather interesting from an artistic standpoint.

Following this work, I began to wonder if I had the right to manipulate images using Photoshop software. This question did not, however, occur to me while I was snapping shots with my improvised filters. Rather, it is likely that this question occurred to me because of the considerable recent debate in the media over this question; and because several photographers lost their credibility when they were caught having blatantly modified images. What in fact is the difference between using a filter placed over a lens and using a digital filter?

After some reflection, I came to the conclusion that photographers have a basic right, if not an obligation, to explore new territories that present themselves to them while using digital technology. A photograph can be manipulated until the image has completely lost its origins in reality, but that does not mean that it has lost its ability to engage the world. For the most part, it goes without saying that photographers have the responsibility to reveal and justify the various techniques of manipulation that they use.

“ Art is a privileged territory: in it, dream, allegory, mask, metaphor, illusion, and fiction benefit from the greatest possible freedom. Like Dieu trompeur, art enjoys appearing in spaces, at times, and in forms in which it is not expected, as a great strategist of mystery and surprise effects when we are to be seduced or shocked, not with the intention of concealing, but to remind us of its true nature. ”