Is it possible to be truly authentic?

Do the principles of modernism hold value in contemporary practices?

Artists these days have huge access to different sources and inspiration via online sources, newspapers, magazines, galleries, and so many more places. Is being influenced by someone the same as copying or is it different? I feel like copying is different to taking inspiration. Copying something exactly is forgery and not fair on the artist who has made the work initially. However if you take inspiration and the piece blows up and becomes large would you be annoyed if you were the initial artist where the inspiration had been taken from? Inspiration can trigger work that is not your own initial idea and that can cause some controversy.

Being able to create your own eye catching photograph is this day and age is difficult as anyone can construct a photograph using a smartphone as the camera qualities have become so good, along with using some editing software it can become great. DSLR’s are so easily accessible that this can also be the case too.

By looking at a photograph are you able to understand how authentic is really is or how much is has been digitally processed using editing software? Does editing software make a photograph non authentic? This could be an argument that yes it does alter the authenticity of a photograph as you are seeing something in the photograph that is not really there, whether it be the colours that have been altered or even an actual object that has been put in which is not there.

Reference website: http://www.theimageflow.com/photography-classes/authenticity-in-photography/