An illusion is the purposeful or inadvertent distortion of reality. Like a mirage perceived along a hot desert highway where the sun’s rays are bent to produce a displaced image of the sky, the photographer is an illusionist who plays with light. The distant desert puddle is illusory, a misdirection of the senses that suggests something that is not. The capacity to distort or define a false reality separates the photographic artist from the journalist seeking to portray the truth. Yet, this same journalist is as guilty of framing the reality in a moment as is the photographer. The photojournalist defines a personal truth by choosing a specific lens, omitting distracting elements and defining the final composition. Very little is real when it comes to making a photograph. Ever since optics have been used to focus light onto a photosensitive emulsion, artists have employed whatever means possible to suggest something about a moment that is more personal than is real.

Just a little something to think about when you gaze at someone’s selfie, a beautiful landscape or that stunning wedding album.