Topic3: Alterations in journalistic photography

Topic3: Alterations in journalistic photography

Press photography is a form of photography that has to be 100% real. These photographers should not be altered or manipulated in any way. Altering these photographs is considered unethical and is not right. Press photography or photojournalism needs to be real and depict a real story, altering these photographs contradicts this statement. Artists always try and make their photographs visually and artistically appealing; however in press photographer the most important is factor is the truth. Photo editing should not be used in any form with press photography. Press photography is used to record very important world events, these events need to be 100% factual. This factuality includes the photography.  The standards in ethical decision making while taking a photograph should be raised. The national press photographers association agrees with this statement (http://webct.georgebrown.ca/webct/urw/lc2044122001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct) Photography’s ability to record specific moments in time is one of the most important things that it offers, and altering. It can display the real emotions that are trying to capture in a specific moment. Creating Documentary images with aesthetic goals in mind should not be the main goal for press photographers.  They should be more concerned with capturing the real image and the emotion that was felt at that time. These altered photographs are unethical because they are considered fake. They are not a true interpretation of what the image is intending to portray. They are altering these photographs to change the mood or feeling at that time. This is not acceptable.  An example of a photograph that was altered unethically was by a photographer, Eadweard Muybridge.  He was a landscape photographer who took a photograph of a landscape and the sky. He altered this photograph to create, “cloud negative.”  This was done to hence the clouds and creates a very deep contrast.  This was unethical because it not depicting reality (http://repository.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/85719/Photo%20Thesis%20Rasior.pdf?sequence=1). 

EXAMPLES OF ALTERATIONS IN PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY 

 

Eadweard Muybridge, Cloud's Rest, Valley of the Yosemite, 1872 

Source:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/31003441@N08/2969594875/

 

Oprah's head on Ann Margaret's body

source: http://www.paulburwell.com/blog/2009/08/the-ethics-of-digital-photo-manipulation/