The things that get in the way

We all need power
Sault Ste. Marie, ON
October 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Is it just me, or is the universe constantly throwing obstacles in our path?

Like here: the power lines that presented themselves right between where I was and what I wanted to shoot.

I was standing just inside a third-floor window at the time, so moving around to shift them out-of-frame wasn't an option. Neither was heroic PhotoShopping to remove them from the final shot.

It's something I wrestle with, especially as tools like PhotoShop and Lightroom become so powerful that replacing the sky with something more dramatic is little more than a couple of clicks away.

But here's the thing: that's not photography. Or maybe it is, but it isn't MY kind of photography.

I'm fine with lightly processing something to enhance or highlight it in a certain way, to help tell the story better than had it been left in its original form. But at some point we risk crossing lines where the end result is no longer a faithful reflection of the story of that moment.

If I'm replacing the sky entirely with a digital version, it may make for a lovelier image, but a less-than-faithful story of what I felt as I was taking it.

Of course, this is just me. If you're into removing power lines because you hate them, or whatever, then more power to you. We all follow our own paths, and no one's route is more or less correct than anyone else's.

Which is my long-winded way of explaining why you're staring at wires in addition to the sun-painted landscape. Because I want you to see what I was seeing. And feeling.

The story wouldn't be truly mine if I told it any other way.

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