Putnam Arts Council show and thoughts on Photography among other medium of arts

I submitted some of my work for the Katonah Museum of Arts’ Artist Association’s annual competition sometimes ago. They selected one of my work and along with another 20+ pieces, the work (Top Station) is now on display in the Putnam Arts Council, in Mahopac (http://www.putnamartscouncil.com/).
I went to the opening reception last Saturday and not too surprised to find that my work is the only photography work. All others are painting, mixed media or sculpture – all very high quality, thought provoking and visually striking. I loved the exhibition – loved the mix, the ideas, the range and the artistic adventures that I saw there. The show will be on display for rest of the month (May) – I will highly recommend a visit to anyone in the area.
For me, it was a great thing to see my own work among other top quality works. This also reminds me how photography, specially nature or landscape photography, is yet to find its place in the mainstream. One artist mentioned that how the pieces are unique and non-traditional – except my piece, but even that has a very non-traditional look. Art, as viewed by most critics and knowledgeable observers (should I call them “elistist”?), has to be some sorts of interpretation of what we see or what we feel or something more abstract. Photography, on the other hand, is too real – it just captures a scene with incredible details. The photographer has much less room to inject her imagination and interpretation than any other forms of arts.
The argument is undeniable – photographers also fall into this very trap and they often claim that they captured “the reality”. It’s a double edged sword – if a photographer manipulate the photo too much, she is blamed for cheating; if she captures the true reality, she is discarded for not creating the art.
My particular work, Top Station, is a photograph which captured a very dramatic scene with an even more dramatic light. But I have used Photoshop to enhance, emphasize and elaborate the vision that I had – am I a cheater? Don’t know – but looks like I did create a piece of art that was selected by other artists (mostly from other mediums) and was placed in the show with the same due respect.
You need recognition to create art – you also need vision and execution. Don’t let the muddy debate of digital processing hinder your creativity – do whatever it takes to express yourself. Photography has moved beyond the documentary medium a long time ago – so move on, think, visualize and create.