– Alterations are not allowed in press photography, but they are one of the tools used in contemporary art photography? Why?
Inphotojournalismthe photographeris capturinga momentso that it islaterused as a meansof information.Anymanipulationthat alters thetruth isstronglyforbiddenby the journalismcode of ethics.
In theartistic photography,there are no limitstothe creativity of thephotographer. Anymanipulationto completethe artist’s visionis more thanwelcome.
So thedifference between the two. A photojournalistdealing withthe truth, because theartist dealsfromtheabstractto thehyperrealism.
– Compare photographs of Sommer, Adams and Klett versus Parkeharrison, Muniz and Crewdson. What happened to the photography? Is this its future?
Sommer, Adams and Klett do not use manipulation or photomontage to portray their vision. Their photos are realistic and contemporary.
Meanwhile, Muniz, Crewdson and Parkeharrison use tools like Photoshop to distort and manipulate their photos. Abusing of the creativity without any regard for rules.
Both styles are beautiful ways of portraying what is currently happening. Using drama to tell a story, whether it is real or not.
As with paintings, where in the early 20th century we saw a shift from square classicism to a more thoughtful and intelligent art, photography seems to be tracing the same path.
Where the world and its diversity modify the way the artist exposes their vision.
– How has digital technology changed the role of photography in the society?
Photography has changed for the better with technology.
Easier, faster, cheaper, now within the reach of the vast majority.
No more films, expensive cameras, revelation, retouching and other techniques that cost time and money and needed to be perfectioned after many mistakes.
A cheap phone, a digital camera that can cost a few dollars, and some apps like Instagram leave anyone tasteful able to produce pictures that are really a masterpiece.
With digital technology, you can print, store, view and do morewithyour photosthan youever thought possible. Sharing these photos with the world is also much faster than it ever was.
– What has been the impact of digital photography on journalism?
The use of digital photos in photojournalism is an irreversible process, as this produces advantages that benefit not just the newspapers, with reduced costs and more time to finalize an issue. The reader is also treated to an updated product made the night before, but that brings the information that interest you, such as sports scores and the latest political and economic developments that affect their day-to-day.
This is only possible due to the shortening of lead times of issues, provided by computerization and digitization of newspaper production steps.
We see the possibility to send a digital image directly from the place where it was
captured, minutes after the click of the camera, as another feature that makes the compelling digital photography for newspaper companies and news agencies that provide images to the newspapers.
The main differences and similarities between art and press photography
The biggest difference between these two is that in photojournalism the photographer deals with real events happening live in front of him, while the artistic photography can be fully staged and directed by the photographer. As Andre Kertesz, a famous photojournalist once said: “The only one I knew to make pictures like mine was a kind of a calendar photographer. He arranged his scenes. But I captured mine…” (The world of Photographers and Photojournalists. p8)
Also, while manipulating or editing artistic photography is acceptable, in photojournalism only basic touch ups such as brightness, color and saturation are deemed ethical and OK to do. It is also important to know that art photographs must have an aesthetic value to be considered art, while for photojournalism that matters is information.
Despite these differences, both try to pass information or feeling for who is viewing it. While a journalistic photograph can tell what happened at an event, for example, an artistic photo can make an act of the same event with new eyes.
Is it ethical and acceptable to alter art photographs? Why? Why not?
Artistic photography is the art of photography in an unconventional way, where there is not a care to portray reality. It goes beyond that. The photographer records the theme in a way that transcends the ordinary. Puts his emotion, his expression and his world view in the image it produces. Just as a painter, a sculptor or other artist does.
To think of artistic images the photographer may need, first of all, to break free of the idea of producing pictures with light, focal length, focus and speed in perfect harmony. Logically, it must have mastery of technique and know the conventional to dare. The idea is to use all resources in a different way from usual. In addition to the camera and lens, of revelation and expansion techniques, today’s photographer has numerous digital resources, which favors creativity.
Photo editing has always been a tool used to expand the possibilities of the photographer, so it is completely acceptable to manipulate artistic photographs.
Even offensive changes are accepted in the world of artistic photography, for as Oliviero Toscani said, “Pictures put you in front of the que reality most of the times you do not want to see, do not want to know about, do not want to get involved “, so this reality check is necessary at times.
Is it ethical and acceptable to alter press photographs? Why? Why not?
The main role of press photography is to inform visually about significant events, and on the various viewpoints of our common world. It is loyalty and exhaustive representation of the subject at hand. Photojournalists have a responsibility to document society and to preserve its history through images.
Press photograps can reveal great truths, expose the evil and negligence, inspire hope, and connect people around the globe through the understanding of visual language. Press photographs can also cause great harm if they are callously intrusive or manipulated
Therefore, any change greater than retouching as light, brightness and saturation is considered offensive in photojournalism and completely unethical.
Unfortunately what you see is capitalism in charge of the profession: commercial interests above the ethical and moral – attitudes that should be intrinsic to journalism. This problem has increased with time, and the digital manipulation technology has made it easier and more noticeable.
This is my submission for PHOTOGRAPHY:SHOOTING THE TRUTH 1st Assignment – Photo Manipulation.
Both pictures were taken by me in 2015. Click images to see larger version.
Photo 1: Canadian Expo vs Nazi in Toronto
Photo 1 – Original @ CNE 2015
This photograph was taken on a sunny August Sunday at CNE. It portrays a nice day to go outside with family and friends. I wanted to change this completely with my manipulation. That’s why I thought.. What if..
Photo 1 – Edited
.. the Nazis won WWII and invaded Toronto?
For a start, I erased all the people that appeared in the original photo, except for the lady in the middle. I wanted this edited piece to be a bleak scenery. With no charm or happiness on sight. Removing the trees and tree shadows also enhanced this feeling.
Secondly, I wanted to give the impression that this was an old photo. To achieve that I removed the modern waterfront buildings in the back, and used some filters and levels correction to give this sepia/washed look to it.
Eventually I had to do some changes to suggest a Nazi Invasion. All the joyful CNE banners were replaced by Nazi ones (Source). I desaturated the Canadian flag, because nothing screams oppression and tyranny like a black flag. And finally the sign was changed from “Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Canadian flag” to “Celebrating the 1st anniversary of the Nazi Invasion”.
Photo 2: Toronto Skyline vs Alien Invasion
Photo 2 – Original @ Toronto Island’s 2015
The second photo was taken during one of my trips to the islands. I wanted to capture the world famous Toronto skyline. The blue sky that takes 2 thirds of the photo gave me an idea to create an….
Photo 2 – Edited
… Alien Invasion in Toronto.
To achieve this I included a huge spaceship in the sky (Source), and also added some jets, alien ships (Source), and a helicopter (Source).
Smoke and explosions were added to landmarks to add drama and enhance the realism of the manipulation.
I wanted to replace the clear blue sky with a more emotional colour, and the first thing that came to my mind was a quote from Lord of The Rings: “A red sun rises. Blood has been spilled this night.”. The red colour did exactly what I wanted.
Do you think your edited images could confuse or misguide the audience if they can’t see the originals?
Definitely. By posting any of these manipulated photos in a newspaper without telling that they’re fake, anyone could misguide the audience into believing they’re true.
If you were to present the first photo to someone, while saying “look at this Nazi Invasion photo I found” without showing the original, the person would be led to believe it actually happened. And if they know the truth they’ll at least be confused by it.
The second one is a bit harder, because it deals with an alien invasion. But depending on who you show it to, the results would be similar.*
History has several examples of photographs that were edited to alter the truth, growing drastically during World War II.
Lenin and Hitler used photo manipulations to show power and wisdom over masses. Their photos always showed them alone on top of stages, speaking in front of thousands of people. But a quick look at the originals show that they were not alone in most of these occasions. People were removed from the photos and the crowd was expanded.
In Russia, Lenin wanted to rewrite the past that fitted his new ideologies, so he removed, and sometimes replaced, historical figures in official photographs.
*Let’s not forget that Orson Welles created a panic wave in 1938 when he broadcasted a “War of the worlds” episode about alien invasion without telling the listeners that it was a fiction story.
My name is Bruno Peres, and I’m attending a Game Development program @ GB.
Photography was always a hobby that I wanted to pay a bit more of attention. Being from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (the Marvelous City), I always loved taking pictures of Rio’s natural beauty. From sunsets at the beach to our world famous mountains.
I hope this program help me figure how I can improve my photography skills and also to learn more about the importance of it on our modern society.
Bruno Peres 