Photographers: are you taking pictures or making pictures?

I traveled all over the country for many years to photograph architectural projects for architects, construction managers, etc. My mother-in-law never understood my job and she would always ask me "can't you make pictures around here?" One day, it finally sunk in that I was taking pictures but I could be making pictures. Especially with digital, we have thousands of choices on the road to creating an image. I start using those choices to make images in my personal work. This lighthouse is a good example. I photographed it during the day. It was a cloudy day so there were no harsh shadows in the image. The sky was gray and ugly. I prefer dusk shots of lighthouses so I decided to make this one a dusk shot. I darkened the image, lit the light, and changed the sky. I think the result is a much more engaging image. I'm glad I made this image instead of accepting what the camera put out.