Authenticity

“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” (Col. 3:9-10, ESV)

Taking a moment today to talk about authenticity in photography and in life. Today we have extraordinarily powerful tools on our computers for post processing the images that have been captured by our cameras. Regardless of the camera being a phone, a point and shoot, or a professional level interchangeable lens mirrorless or mirrored SLR style camera the images that we take can be modified in an unlimited number of ways to produce the art and effect that is desired by the photographer.

Editing images for some is a controversial topic with some “purists” claiming that any edited images are not authentic and only photos that are untouched should be shown as one’s work. Others take the stance that any level of editing is acceptable and is simply an expression of art. The goal of my post today is not to take a stance either way but simply to use this as an illustration for living an authentic life. Personally, I use a program called Lightroom for my editing and all of my photos go through a process to be enhanced to the point that I am satisfied that they are pleasing to the eye. When I edit a photo I take the approach to not modify the original image in any extensive way from what I saw as a potential beautiful image in the camera on site. Editing tools allow me to adjust the color, the light, and the shadows in a manner that I think of as “revealing” the original intent of the photo to tell the story of the photo as I want it to be told. Techniques of shadows and masking to draw the eye in a certain way or enhancement of colors bring out the image that I as the artist want to reveal are used not to change the photo but to make it more than it would have been without going through this process. You might even view some of my work and have a certain opinion that the editing was overdone or not done correctly and I am o.k. with that because I accept that this is a learning process.

The image that I have attached today is one of my favorites. It is one of the few that I have ever printed and framed and it sits on my desk here as I type. It was taken on a random Spring evening on a random walk along the waterfront and taken handheld with an iPhone. I knew as soon as I saw the initial image on my phone screen that this was going to be special because I could see the potential that it held with just a bit of editing. The beauty was present but as the artist I was anxious to take it home to reveal its true potential and what you see is the final result.

I was having a fun discussion the other day with my beautiful wife about this topic and together we came to the conclusion that photo editing is actually just like makeup. It is very possible to over apply makeup to the face and instead of enhancing the beauty that is there it becomes artificial and fake. The person applying excessive makeup ends up trying too hard to become something that they are obviously not meant to be. It is much more beautiful to reveal the original beauty that God has given than to become plastic and fake. With photos I see many photos on various social media sites that are overdone with editing and I have to say that I have many dozens of photos in my archives over the years that I look back on now and am quite appalled by what I see! It is a learning curve certainly but my mantra for edits has become “less is more” and if an edit is applied to a certain level it is probably advisable to back down slightly.

Colossians 3:9-10 tells us to “not lie to one another” and to “put off the old self with its practices and put on the new self.” In other words, be authentic and as the verse tells us this will grow us in a way that begins to look more like the image of our Creator. When it comes to people and being “themselves” before those around them I have seen this take every extreme from those who say things that hurt you and say “I was just being real!” or who are rude and claim “its just the way I am!” or to the other extreme of a person who puts up such a fake front with a fake smile and fake compliments that the inauthenticity is quite evident. Just like in photographs or makeup, how do we find the balance to reveal the beauty of God’s image in us with the Master’s “editing” touch on our lives?

This “editing” of our lives is where the real work begins. Hand God the paintbrush, give Him the mouse to control the edit tools, study the Word and follow Him. He will grow us into a beautiful work of art as long as we give up control and patiently allow Him to do His work. I hope you have enjoyed this post today and every day and are being blessed with these writings. As always, if you would like to comment below please feel free as I would love to hear from some of you if this is blessing your life!