Recently, I again spent hours editing my photos. Like a chef trying to coax out the final note of flavor, I adjust the controls. A touch more contrast here, slightly less saturation there. Until the photo feels right to me, until it conveys the mood I felt when pressing the shutter. Or sometimes an entirely different one — because as an artist, I have this freedom.
Then came the message: "The contrasts are wrong, I'm disappointed." What an interesting statement when you think about it. Wrong contrasts? In mathematics, there is wrong: two plus two is certainly not five. But in art?
Imagine two photographers standing side by side. Same moment, same scene. Yet they will create two completely different images. One might prefer it bright and airy, the other dark and mysterious. Who is right? Both, of course. Or neither. Depending on whom you ask.
Admittedly, negative criticism affects me more than I sometimes like to admit. I lie awake at night pondering. Why? Because we all crave recognition. A small thumbs up, and our reward center does the samba. But that's exactly the trap: if we align ourselves too much with others' tastes, we lose ourselves.
Of course, there are rules in photography. If I'm working for Playboy, I can't suddenly submit all images in black and white just because I'm going through my minimalist phase. But in free artistic work? Fortunately, today everything is permitted. Underexposed, overexposed, blurry or razor-sharp — these are conscious decisions, not mistakes.