>>3184633>Aren't you a professional retoucher anyway, not a photographer? Do you think journalism isn't artistic?I'm a hobbyist when it comes to photography. Photo-journalism can absolutely be artistic. I wouldn't say it's the only kind of photography that's acceptable though. Sometimes showing exactly what the sensor recorded can make the most powerful image, often it does not.
If this were a project for an elderly couple, this would be how they remember the scene. This is accurate to their perception. They wouldn't see this and think, "hey there were some wood boards over there, and a telephone pole." Including that stuff would hinder their emotional experience. Their eyes would have to struggle a little bit more each time they viewed the image. If they were to choose from an image where everything was as recorded by the digital sensor, or an image that reflects their memory of the event, they'd choose the latter. This image would bring them more joy. Is it photojournalism? No. Would this treatment make war photos better? No. There's a time and a place for each type of processing.
