[pealco]

The "pure" photograph is a myth. Every single aspect of taking a photograph imposes the same kind of artificiality that the author claims Instagram filters impose. From the most basic technical considerations: the aperture and shutter speed, to the most practical: what you are pointing the camera at. Even seemingly innocent choices like the kind of camera and lens you use are guilty of this.

With every one of these choices, the photographer creates a distance from the "real" world. A filter is no different. It is merely another tool available to a photographer to achieve his goals.