Erasing that satellite trail from my galaxy photo has me feeling shady

I finally got a clear picture of the Triangulum galaxy after months of trying. During editing, I noticed a bright satellite streak right through the middle. With some quick work in my software, I made it disappear completely. Everyone who saw it said the photo looked perfect and untouched. But I keep remembering that the streak was really there in the sky. It hit me that I'm showing people a version of space that isn't fully true. Now I'm stuck on whether cleaning up photos crosses a line for honesty.

3 comments

3 Comments

taylor_ellis1mo ago

Remember when people used to airbrush film photos? I had to edit my cousin out of a family reunion shot once after a bad breakup, and it felt so weird to just delete a person who was there. I mean, where do you stop, you know?

vale191mo ago

Ever feel like you're editing reality? I had the same gut punch when I took a picture of the moon and cloned out a plane. The shot looked cleaner, but it also felt like a lie. Now I just tell people what I fixed so the truth is out there. It's a weird line we walk.

ellis.charles1mo ago

Tell pfft I once yeeted a whole person from a pic and called it art, so your space edit is basically fine.

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