Assignment 1 Photo Journal PART 2

Art Photographs

Photographer: John Burton Griffiths

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.jbgphotography.co.uk/images/landscape_photography/landscape_photographer_chester.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.jbgphotography.co.uk/chester_photographer/art_landscape_photographer.html&usg=__HofKSozqi9c8h16O1NzZ7NAHZY8=&h=735&w=490&sz=49&hl=ko&start=1&sig2=e03WCL2wkrJxxaLvtmWdJQ&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=Gla4gzuFv0knGM:&tbnh=141&tbnw=94&prev=/images%3Fq%3DJBG%2Bart%2Bphotography%26um%3D1%26hl%3Dko%26sa%3DX%26rlz%3D1R2SKPB_enCA381%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=eWmFTbvgDOmV0QGsxvDECA

The Massive National Archives

Photographer: Scott Speck

http://www.lightweaversphoto.com/fine_art/pinhole/page001/pic16.html

Press Photographs

Barack Obama Inauguration as 44^th President of the United States

Photographer: Charles Ommanney

http://www.hahaha.com/worldpressphoto/en/

Suicide Car Bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan

Photographer: Adam Ferguson

http://www.hahaha.com/worldpressphoto/en/

The main differences and similarities:

The main difference between press photographs and art photographs is obviously art photographs are for expressing the artist’s perceptions and emotions to share them with others, and press photographs are showing the facts that happened around the world. Also, art photographs are more likely for decoration while press photographs are used to support news or writing. Art photographs are more likely focused on aesthetic of a subject.

The main similarity is that both press photographs and art photographs have meaning and stories to tell about the subject. For the viewers, it can be just one picture but it contains meaningful stories in the photographs.

Is it ethical and acceptable to alter art photographs? Why? Why not?

It is ethical and acceptable to alter art photographs because as I mentioned above, art photographs are meant to be shown the artists’ perceptions and emotions. Usually, emotions are abstractive, meaning it can’t be shown as fact. It is more likely a self-expression, not to show the facts to the public. Therefore, they can choose whatever they want to be on their pictures, and can manipulate their photographs however they want them to be seen.

Is it ethical and acceptable to alter press photographs? Why? Why not?

As press photographs are telling the facts about the events to the public, it is not ethical and acceptable to alter press photographs. The press photographs are meant to be shown the reality what have happened around the world, so the press photographs can’t be exaggerated or even lied. The only change is acceptable when the press photographers want to make it more realistic and helpful to the readers understanding or feeling the situation that had taken on the picture. The book, Shooting the Truth, mentioned that “Kertesz had intuition to capture some events that were happening around him. His small camera on the front line was not concerned about heroic images, but about the life that was going on there.”

Not even on the news, but in history, it is not ethical to alter photographs. According to the University of Minnesota article, “The most common examples of photograph alteration and falsification come from communist Russia. Unwanted persons, so-called "enemies of the people" were not only killed, but also removed from photographs where their presence was unwanted.” As you can see the four photos below, they are exactly the same except Trotsky is removed from bottom of both photographs.

 

Photographs with Trotsky

Photographs without Trotsky

As the photographs altered, the history of Soviet Union also altered. Similar to this, altering the press photographs can lead to altering the facts. Therefore, the press photographers can’t see things only in their perspective and change pictures as they wanted to be expressed.

References

-        Gordana Icevska (n.d.) How Photographs in the media betray us. Shooting the truth (P. 3-17)

-        University of Minnesota (n.d). From: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~hick0088/classes/csci_2101/false.html