New Photograph November 2022

Wild Clouds near San Martin, CA. 2022

These clouds caught my attention gazing out the window while driving. Down the road they just got better and better. After a few iPhone snaps through the car window, I finally pulled over and made a more serious effort. I was on my way home from the Mono Lake Workshop, which reminded me again that wonders are everywhere.

This photograph brought up a visual and ethical issue worth discussion. There were big light poles sticking up into the clouds and were distracting. They were not in my view as I was driving along looking for a safe place to pull off the highway. When I found a safe place, I found the light poles. Without even giving it much thought, I made two views of the scene, about 10 feet apart, just enough to “see around” the poles with real sky if the photos were combined so that neither contained the poles. This “seeing around” feels different to me than cloning them out, which I would be reluctant to do. Still, I don’t want to show the photograph without disclosing that it is really two photographs combined to see sky behind both light poles, and render neither into the scene. Although this mimics what I saw from the car, it is not literally what I saw at the moment. As is also obvious, I did not see in black and white. Such a disclosure is important to me as I strive for visual truth in my photography. As I have also said for decades of digital empowerment, an artist using photography must still have the freedom to journey down any path of artistic curiosity, but if the scene is depicted as real, and its been altered in some way, simply tell your audience what they are being shown.

Purchase this print.