Unpopular take: smudged fingerprints make the photo better, not worse

Everyone in this group seems obsessed with clean, crisp shots of their accidental art, but I think the smudges and dirt on a window or mirror are part of the piece. Last week I caught a reflection of the sunset on a bus stop pane in Portland, and the greasy handprints added texture that made it look like a painting. I know it's about capturing what's already there, so why wipe away the real story? Anyone else leave the grime in on purpose, or am I the only one who sees it that way?

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brian30314d ago

Figure out which smudges are actually from the people passing through, like the ghost of someone else's day. I shot a diner window at 6am in the rain, and there was this one palm print right over the neon sign, looked like the place was waving at me. That's not dirt, that's a record of somebody being there. Clean glass is just a barrier, but a smudge is a handshake with a stranger you'll never meet. Keep the grime, but maybe pick your spots, not every fingerprint is worth keeping, some are just boring.