Truth in Photography

Just for kicks and giggles I thought today I would share a couple of photos that illustrate how what we see might not have been reality, or was it? This afternoon I photographed this American red squirrel staring at me from a branch somewhat in a clearing. From this vantage point the squirrel easily became the main subject of the image with minimal distractions.

Even though the image file decently shows the squirrel, the out of focus branch in the background is a distraction. With minimal editing I removed that branch, as seen here.

Is the edited picture accurate? Does the branch behind the squirrel matter? Since I explained the photo has been manipulated, is the picture still acceptable? We are not studying the background branch… should it stay? I don’t know that there is a right or wrong answer. Perhaps that decision is best left to each viewer.

Later the little squirrel provided a second photo-opportunity. This time the clutter around the squirrel was so close that it became an unacceptable distraction. For that reason, I am showing you only for a visual explanation.

This image had no editing. I found a field where a considerable number of trumpeter swans have been gathering. This was only a small portion of the many swans. As you can see in the photo, the birds were a long distance out in the field.