Topic3: Alterations in journalistic photography

Dramatic photo alterations on journalist photography are neither acceptable nor ethical. Over the past three weeks we have learned about many journalistic photographers that either believe in alterations like Eugene Smith and Sebastio Salgando or not like Andre Kertesz and Henri Cartier-Bresson. Journalistic photography that has had any type of drastic alterations impacts the fundamentals of the photograph such as emotions, content, and the reality factor. Altering photos that will be shown to the public defeats the purpose of photojournalism.

Original

By alliterating a journalistic photograph it changes the impact of the photo. The code of journalism clearly talks about self-regulation as being true to the audience, being that reliable source. Not only writers are permitted to follow this but also photographers. A photo alone can tell a story with out words, the caption just elaborates what the photograph is. Sensationalism is also a factor that conflicts with photographers like Eugene Smith and Sebastio Salgando. They become raped up with the scene; grow connections with the civilians, by doing so they draw for shock value. In the end, they just become to emotionally attach and in a way develop a media bias to their pictures, forcing viewers to see things their way.

Alteration

The meaning and story it once had, has been changed to fit the photographer’s meaning and story. For instance, the photograph by Eugene Smith, on his African trip. This photograph showed Dr. Schweitzer with an Africain standing and looking off to the world, however in his eyes he seen it in a political leader aspect. By adding hands clapping and cheering, he completely changed the impact of the photograph, to appear the way he seen it. Even Salgando collection of photographs seen on Time.com was a clear indication of no longer being invisible and interfering with the scene. No one can doubt that his photographs are good however, they aren’t truth and they don’t implement the codes of ethics. They look staged, and forced and in this case should be considered fine arts instead of journalistic photography.

Time.com

Photo alterations cannot be acceptable and it is nowhere close to being ethical. They basically lie, twist the truth to make their own. It’s up to the media to crack down on cases like these. Both Smith and Salgando are just as good as Kertesz and Cartier-Bresson but it comes down to the realistic reliability. That the public has the right to, see things in its true form with out alterations.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensationalism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalism_ethics_and_standards

Presenting the moment: Eugene Smith and Sebastiao Salgado

http://webct.georgebrown.ca/webct/urw/lc2044122001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct

Assignment 1, Topic 2 (Photo Journal Topic 2: Press photography versus art photography

Photographed by: Eddie Adams

These two press photos were taken almost 30 years apart and were still able to capture a little bit about the person being photographed and at the same time get an emotion out of the viewer. The first press photo was taken by, the Pulitzer Prize winner Eddie Adam. The photograph was taken February 1, 1968 of general Nguyen Ngoc Lem, executing a Viet Cong prisoner in Saigon. 

Photograph by: Dorothea Lange

The second press photo was taken by Dorothea Lange’s named “Migrant Mother,” which was taken in February 1936. The woman in the photo is Florence Owens Thompson. The original photo had Florence's thumb and index finger on the tent pole, but later the photograph was retouched to hide Florence's thumb, her index finger was left untouched (lower right in photo).

The similarities of the two presses are that they grab your attention to a issue that is going on. They are talking to you with out words, telling the story of the moment, what the person was thinking and going through. They both touch on a type of emotion and played upon it to show the reality of that situation. For Eddie Adams it was the ruthlessness of the general to the prisoner and for Dorothea Lange is was the struggle of this farm lady. The only differences of these two presses were the time period and that Dorothea Lange’s photograph had been edited to make it appear perfect. Other than that the concept was the same and even the photograph being black and white was the same. 

Photographed by: Man Ray

The first art photograph was taken by, Man Ray of Gabrielle “CoCo” Chanel in 1935. This is considered a classic photograph of Chanel smoking a cigarette but still portraying class at the same time. 

Photographed by: Alexandra Catiere

These two photographs were nearly taken 70 years apart, however the capturing of both pictures are clear emphasized and understood. The second art photograph was taken by, the world-renowned fine-art photographer Alexandra Catiere. This photograph was taken in her hometown of Minsk in 2005. This photograph is part of her series titled, “Behind the Glass,” that focuses on the numerous amount of faces seen through the window (glass) of the public transportation. 

The similarities of the two art photographs are that they had a theme they were playing upon. For instance, Man Ray wanted to display Chanel’s status and role as a strong woman. She was smoking a cigarette but still looked posh and sat with grace. While, Alexandra Cartier wanted to show the disengagement from, the people looking at them and the people on, the transit. She was fascinated with the texture of the window and the frame of the face while, Man Ray was fascinated with Chanel her self and what she impetrated when she was alive. The differences of these two photographs were the time period as well as Man Ray was doing more fashion-art and Alexandra Cartier was doing fine art. 

The similarities of press photography and art photography are simply capturing a “decisive moment.” Either photographer’s goals are to capture a perfect moment that could portray a story they are intending to get across. To capture that moment it is all about good timing, a vision and intuition of how it will turn out. Referring to Henri Cartier in the ‘Cartier-Bresson’s Decisive Moment’ he explained about the ability of taking a photo is to align the head, the eye and the heart. Those are the fundamentals of capturing a photograph regardless if it is a press or art. The other similarity is having a story, a theme, or a method. Unconsciously every photographer does this, it is nearly impossible to take a photo of nothing because even that is a theme. The differences of press and art photography are the near fact that press is like writing the event. They capture the reality of things. The picture should tell the story with or without the caption to go along with it. These photographers are journalist and approach the picture and event in that aspect. That is being invisible, not interrupting the scene but freezing the information in a photograph. While art photography is done like drawing, sketching or even painting a picture. They go about it in a more abstract or surreal aspect to emphasize on the art aspect if the picture.  

 

Sources:

Capturing the moment- Andre Kertest & Henri Cartier-Bresson

Cartier-Bresson Decisive Moment

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nguyen.jpg

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4630900

http://www.shanelavalette.com/journal/2007/10/22/alexandra-catiere-behind-the-glass/