Photography has been a favourite hobby of mine for a number of years now.

It has given me a lot of joy and also gave me a focus (no pun intended) to get through some serious health issues.

But I am a bit of a purist. I believe the photo you take should be, pretty much, a true representation of what you see. A little bit of editing or enhancement post shot is acceptable - colours, contrast, highlights, sharpening. Even cloning out an unsightly blob or blemish is fine.

Ilford Recorder: Carol Weaver says that obeying the Covid-rules is an act of kindness to others.Carol Weaver says that obeying the Covid-rules is an act of kindness to others. (Image: Archant)

These days, however, photo editing has reached a totally new level and I’m not that comfortable with it.

Whole backgrounds can be changed. A cloudy day; substitute a blue sky! Taken in Paris; put the subject against a Rome backdrop! Objects can be added, changed, moved, or removed entirely.

And the truth in the photo becomes distorted. Sometimes the reality bears little resemblance to the photo.

Similarly, in Iife, situations and people’s character can be distorted or edited very easily with a careless word or opinion given out of malice or without due thought or verification of accuracy and by an observation based on someone else’s input.

It is so difficult to remove a perception of someone once that perception has been voiced and shared.

As Baha’u’llah said, it is far better to “see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others and know of thine own knowledge and not with the knowledge of thy neighbour”.