Photography: A Thousand Lies In One Image

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A photograph is worth a thousand words, but photoshop can produce a thousand lies. Life is much more beautiful to me when looking through the camera lens. To me, photography is not what I see, it is what I let others see. It’s the beauty of life, captured in a single image. Call me a purist, but other than the occasional black-and-white photograph, I don’t edit any of my photographs. I don’t like taking a beautiful picture of a landscape – and then photoshopping it until it looks like a cartoon.

Why do we use so many filters on pictures anyway? Flipping through my news feed on Instagram some shots that I see from other photographers certainly have interesting colour patterns, but have very little to do with reality anymore. I’ve even seen that done with nature pictures being stitched together from over 20 different overlays and exposures. The result was nice and maybe visually appealing to some, but I couldn’t help but wonder if someone who had never seen the true beauty of the Canadian Rocky Mountains would be disappointed in reality after seeing this heavily edited photograph. It’s all lies.

I use the same reasoning for my photographic art. If athletes can’t use steroids, why can models use photoshop? Admitted, for some commercial work photoshop is needed – but that requires a graphic designer, not a photographer. So I don’t edit, I make photographs instead of taking them. Capturing life as I see it. Period. Call me a purist.

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WILKO VAN DE KAMP is an award-winning photographic artist, and professional world traveler. His inspiration comes from traveling all over the world. He calls the Canadian Rocky Mountains his home, and the rest of the world his office. He has been capturing our wonderful planet, and it’s beautiful inhabitants, for more than half his life. Wilko has spent his life traveling the world to capture awe-inspiring images for those who wouldn’t see them otherwise, and to inspire others to embark on their journey of a lifetime. Through his art, writing and appearances as a keynote speaker he enjoys sharing his colorful experiences with the world.

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