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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
"Unethical" Photos
Jeff Gammons, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Niceville | Fl | USA | Posted: 10:16 PM on 06.26.11 |
->> I have to write an essay on ethics for my ethics class, go figure. Its an upper level class so I can kinda do what I want with it. I want to shed some light on edited or misleading photos from both the recent and some older ones. I have already hunted a few down that I remember popping up in here, mostly the recent oil spill ones and the whole shooting during the presidents speeches. What I want to do is just bring some light on the reasons behind doing things like this and how it hinders journalists as a whole.
So if you know of any memorable photo shenanigans, big or small, new or old, it would be much appreciated if you could point me in the right direction or post a link.
Thanks,
Jeff |
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Bradly J. Boner, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Bruce Twitchell, Photographer
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Patrick Fallon, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Houston | Texas | USA | Posted: 5:31 AM on 06.27.11 |
->> Hey Jeff,
I think you will find the National Press Photographers Association site to be a good resource here, including the mission statement and news archive.
http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/news/
http://www.nppa.org/about_us/
I am not sure if I understand your question though, "bring some light on the reasons behind doing things like this and how it hinders journalists as a whole."
Are you talking about "staged" photos being portrayed as real - or manipulated images from a corporate release? Or manipulated editorial photos? Perhaps looking at how the public trust of professional journalism is dwindling... check out Poynter.org for info on that. |
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Jack Howard, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Central Jersey | NJ | USA | Posted: 6:49 AM on 06.27.11 |
->> Jeff, there are no links to any manipulated photos here to "help" your research.
However, here is a bit of advice for you to apply to this paper: Pay attention to your writing!
On a first pass, I count four simple grammatical errors that should be flagged in an "upper level" paper.
Additionally, your word choice here:
"What I want to do is just bring some light on the reasons behind doing things like this and how it hinders journalists as a whole."
shows, I think, either a lack of conviction, a lack of grasp on the situation, or both; as you begin this thesis-type statement quite tentatively and end it rather vaguely. |
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Stew Milne, Photographer
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Providence | RI | USA | Posted: 9:04 AM on 06.27.11 |
->> Over fifteen years ago I researched and wrote about similar topic for my Thesis. Some early examples of photo manipulations include the Nat Geo cover of the Egyptian pyramids, and the TIME cover of the OJ Simpson mug shot. I know I wrote about many more. There was another where a Coke can was removed from a news photo.
My Thesis topic was Digital Imaging Ethics in Photojournalism.
For the most part, people manipulate photos to make them "better." i.e. remove distracting or unwanted elements (or even people), change the mood of the original photo (Simpson), fit into a certain aspect ratio (the pyramids)......
The internet is your friend. Go search!
-sM |
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Will Powers, Photographer
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Denver | CO | USA | Posted: 12:29 AM on 06.28.11 |
->> I would not forget about propaganda photos. There was a recent story about people who fall out of favor in communist countries or Hitlers leaders who were later removed from photos. There are also stories of the Life photographer that shot during the Depression, who carried a cow skeleton head in the trunk of his car to add to photos for dramatic effect. Weegee reportedly placed objects for dramatic effect, too. This was an acceptable practice at one time.
How important is ethics in our profession? How about the photogs that have been fired for setting up news photos, or adding and removing objects from photos. AP removed all of one photographers files and Reuters has done similar after the photographers were exposed for unethical behavior. |
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David A. Cantor, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Toledo | OH | USA | Posted: 8:30 AM on 06.28.11 |
->> "There are also stories of the Life photographer that shot during the Depression, who carried a cow skeleton head in the trunk of his car to add to photos for dramatic effect."
No. Arthur Rothstein was a photographer for the Farm Security Administration.
See here: http://tinyurl.com/3rdfbaz |
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Andrew Brosig, Photo Editor, Photographer
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Nacogdoches | TX | United States | Posted: 9:53 AM on 06.28.11 |
->> I can't remember who it was, but years ago I heard a presentation by a newspaper photographer. He talked about carrying cans of motor oil (not just him, but other photogs as well) for use at automobile accident scenes. The oil, when photographed in black and white (gives you an idea of how long ago this practice was apparently common) looks like pools of blood, adding dramatic effect to the images.
As has been mentioned above, things like this were common practice "back in the day." What really disturbs me, even today, is the number of supposedly educated editors I've run across who have, in all seriousness, asked me if I can't just move this or delete that portion of a photo to make it look better. Even more disturbing is the number of those who don't understand when I respond, "Yes I can, but I won't."
You expect to see that kind of misunderstanding in the public, a large percentage of whom still believe a lot of what we do as journalists is fiction and unbelievable. You really don't expect to see that kind of attitude in supposed journalism professionals. That might be an angle to explore in your paper. It would also be interesting if you were able to contact some of the people involved in recent manipulations and could get them to talk about why they did it. I don't know how willing some would be to talk about it, though. But it could be a good addition, kind of a "horses mouth" aspect.
Good luck with the project. It's definitely something we all still need to be aware of. It's too bad it only comes to light, usually, after a scandle. |
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Will Powers, Photographer
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Denver | CO | USA | Posted: 10:49 AM on 06.28.11 |
| ->> Thanks for the correction David. Great catch. |
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Jeff Gammons, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Niceville | Fl | USA | Posted: 3:53 PM on 06.28.11 |
->> Thanks for all the info, this is due in about a month so I am just gathering as much material as I can now. I am meeting with my instructor to work out a good thesis statement on Thursday before class. I am hoping that the more articles I can find, the easier it will be to get a strong topic in the works.
Thanks again everyone,
Jeff |
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