Real or Right?

Photos: © Stan Banos

I originally chose to 'edit' (remember when the word meant: to cull, choose or pick?) this photo as B&W (see below) a few years ago because the pedestrian on the far left was wearing a very distracting day-glo green T shirt. At first, I didn't feel comfortable changing the color (ie- reality) simply because it didn't fit my aesthetic 'moral' prerogative- think it a dangerous road.* And I don't think the B&W version came out bad at all- just don't believe it has the drama and presence of the (almost) original color version! 

Sooo... What made me finally submit and undergo this change of mind, this moral 180, this deliberate alteration of reality? Can AI be far behind (or as our current Secretary of Education calls it- "A1")? Well, even though my work is most definitely documentary in nature, I'm definitely not a PJ, so I'm obviously under no obligation to live to those exacting standards. 

But why now? Because I have a yet further confession- an admission I knew I would have to make while in the very process of taking a much more recent picture! See those minimalist, organic looking sculptures in the background of this recently posted, linked photo? Well, the one directly behind the seated man wrapped in the orange plastic sheeting is really colored... you guessed it- orange! And the large one on the far left was a distractingly bright yellow. So, I almost didn't take the photo knowing, at the very least, that I would have to convert to monochrome- and in so doing, lose much of the visual impact that particular color imparts to the subject. And leaving it as it was, resulted in a rather confusing and unsightly orange conglomeration that distorted the subject and competed with the bright yellow anomaly to the left. Ultimately, I determined it was a unique and worthy enough image to salvage the best way I could- altering a small portion of the background which was of considerably less contextual and aesthetic importance (acting mostly as filler) to maintain the visual integrity of the main subject. So, I opted for the unthinkable- corrective surgery! Yes, I altered the image after the fact- is it as 'legitimate' as cropping (which I never do- FWIW), or other commonly used editing tools? Yeah, probably not. Does it somehow lessen it as an image? As far as veracity, yes. But I'd also argue that the edit doesn't serve to inflate the subject matter, as much as to deter the distraction caused by compressing three dimensional complexities into two. That's my story and I'm sticking to it- Capiche? 

*Is it 'OK' to replace entire skies, eliminate people or objects, make them bigger, smaller, slimmer, etc, etc? Again, if not a PJ, anything goes- generally, it's just not a road I'm personally comfortable with, and will only indulge as a last result. And think it important to make note, if and when you do.