About Photographic Shyness

Credibility in art is not tied to how far you depart from reality.
Alain Briot
In 2013 Michael Reichmann published an essay titled The Art Of Fooling Around
In this essay Michael made the point that photographers are shy when it comes to expressing themselves through their photographs.  In Michael’s opinion this is due to the desire to have their photographs taken seriously by the photographic community.
In other words photographers want their work to have credibility and for for them having credibility means not Photoshopping their images. In the beginning of digital photography this meant not Photoshopping at all. Now that digital has become the norm and that everyone uses it, it means not Photoshopping too much.
This attitude is just as ridiculous as trying to develop a personal style that is not too personal.  Just like you have a personal style or you don’t, you either Photoshop your work or you don’t.  If you make art rather than documentation, which is the point of this essay, ...