A photograph is typically thought of as matter of fact. It is objective. A photo with nothing done to it to alter it is a window into what is or rather was reality. Contrary to popular belief, I think that photography is always going to have some level of subjectivity, no matter how hard you try to be objective though the medium.

    The act of processing an image will remove the objectiveness of an image. Adjusting sliders to achieve an effect alters reality, even if done so slightly. I try to get my images to look how I saw the scene or envisioned it, but this tends to be at least a little different from how someone else would have seen the same thing. Even if you choose to allow the camera to spit out a JPEG there is processing being done behind the scenes. Each manufacturer and sensor will interpret colors and light, slightly differently

    The way we choose our lenses change reality as well. When using a wide lens, it will distort the edges of the frame and warp straight lines creating wonky effects. Telephoto lenses compress the scene and bring a subject closer than we are able to see with just our own eyes. The choice in what we use in front of the camera body changes reality even just slightly.

    Even when using a normal focal length and a camera that magically uses a (currently non-existent) profile with perfect color there is the photographer. We choose what to photograph. The framing of what we shoot is like a real-world cropping out of what we don’t want the viewer to see. The place we stand, way we hold the camera, settings, posing, etc… all have an impact on how our photography becomes a subjective art. A good example of how a photographer’s perspective can change the way a photo looks is this ad made by Cannon a few years ago.