The manipulation of photography is a problem that has been on the rise recently for the past few years. Technologies have permitted us to alter and change the features of a photo. By doing these things, this can completely change the meaning of the photo resulting in a false understanding of the viewer. Magazines have been doing this for years. They often chop a photo to make it seem as if something else is going on. Photo manipulation, in my view, is a huge problem that our society now faces. I realize it may have its benefits, but I believe the cons outweigh the pros. For example, the photo below is definitely a photo that could prove demeaning towards a certain group; this is only done through the use of photo manipulation.
Photos can really create deceptive meanings and even more so with the availability of photo manipulation and editing services that can be found all around the web. I really enjoyed the article by Morris on the idea of Photography as a Weapon. It really goes to show how the meanings can be changed in a photo just by adding a few words or editing out something that is already present. A great example from his articles is found below of the missile launch in which was fabricated in order to make it look a lot worse than it actually was.
All of the red boxes represent pieces that were fabricated or copied patterns (Johnson)
One definite con of the digitization and manipulation of photos is the fact that they can be misleading and provide the observer with wrong information. Until there is a very efficient way to prove the fabrication of a photo, I think there should be rules regarding the publishing and advertising of a false photo such as the one above, which caused much controversy in the United States. A great example of photo misconceptions is the advertisement of “Before-and-After Photos”. It is said that 85-90% of the photos are manipulated in some way to enhance or demean the person in the photo. In conclusion, I am not a supporter of the digitization of photography, it really doesn’t have the same effect of a well-taken photo and can easily be manipulated or edited.