[perardi]

What is an illusion and what is reality? How do I present an objective true image with a camera?

And this is not some superficially dumb dorm room philosophy rambling. I can stand in one spot and get a radically different photo depending on the focal length of lens I choose. Ignoring time of day, ignoring weather, what is the “reality” I should be presenting?

https://digital-photography-school.com/wide-angle-versus-tel...

Ignore all the “filtering” stuff. (Which, of course, you cannot possibly have an un-filtered digital photo, there is a Bayer filter array in front of the sensor, literally every photo is filtered or else it would be in black and white.) Am I presenting reality accurately if I shoot someone with an 85mm lens versus a 35mm lens? What if I use lighting? What if I have them stand so they’re looking at me over their shoulder instead of straight on? What if I coach them to smile a bit? Is a model in a studio with a big softbox light an illusion or reality?

[xcambar]

You could have started on a consensual definition of "unfiltered photography" with OP and share some valid ideas to fuel the conversation instead.