While doing street photography, I often say to myself, “Do not touch that!”
Why do I say something like this? Undoubtedly, it is connected with one of my rules while taking photos on Warsaw’s streets. This rule sounds like the title of this post. It is associated with removing or moving items out of the frame. When I see that I can eliminate something out of the frame, e.g., a branch, leaf, or paper lying on the ground, I say to myself, “Do not touch that!” The aim of my photographic activity is not to document my surroundings. Still, I know that I sometimes do documentary photography. I aim to present reality without my touches in artistic ways. I know that I can remove many items from the picture in Adobe Photoshop.
Still, I do not want to do it. When I tell myself that I take pictures, I want these images to remain photographs, not digital graphics.
Moreover, I want them to be as accurate as possible. That’s why I say to myself, “Do not touch that!” when I see that some pictures would be better, e.g., more minimalistic, after eliminating some things. I want to sculpt in everything that mundane reality provides me. I do not want to make retouches while taking photos and editing them in Adobe Lightroom. Luckily, Lightroom has limited capabilities regarding developing pictures. That’s why I see my photographs as presenting reality via my inner, creative eye. I am proud of myself that I can unconventionally show mundane surroundings. I doubt whether this activity will ever bore me.
Moreover, I cannot imagine that writing about all these things will also ever jade me. Not touching and removing items is merely another step in the way of my creative doings. I wrote this post on the 7th of November, 2021. I will have a two-week holiday from my accounting work within one week. How happy I am that I will be able to stroll around Warsaw’s streets and take pictures in grey and mundane November.
