Photo Manipulation

Photo manipulation is the application of image editing techniques to photographs in order to create illusion or deception, through analog or digital means. It is used to deceive or persuade viewers, or for improved story-telling and self expression. Photo manipulation is as old as photography itself and was used as early as the American Civil War. Not all photo manipulation is bad, there are certain techniques that are accepted, such as: colour correction, retouching of dust and scratches, brightness and contrast adjustments, cropping a frame to fit a layout and many more. Photo Manipulation is considered deceiving when objects are added or removed, colours are changed and basically when anything is done that will alter the image to change the reader’s opinion.
One of the first cases of photo manipulation, which triggered many debates about the appropriateness of photo manipulation in journalism, was a 1982 National Geographic cover. Editors photographically moved two Egyptian pyramids closer together so that they would fit on a vertical cover. The argument was that the editing for the cover depicted something that did not exist, and presented it as a fact.
Another famous photo manipulation controversy was in 1994. After O.J. Simpson was arrested for allegedly murdering his wife and her friend, multiple publications carried his mugshot. TIME Magazine published an edition featuring an altered mugshot, removing the photograph’s colour saturation. This appeared on newsstands right next to an unaltered picture by Newsweek. The altered mugshot on the cover of TIME made Simpson’s skin appear a lot darker than the unaltered photo. With the darker skin, Simpson looked scarier and almost gave the illusion that he looked more guilty.
More and more writers are becoming devoted to the ethical use of digital editing in photojournalism. In the US, for example, the National Press Photographers Association have set out a Code of Ethics promoting the accuracy of published images. Infringements of the Code are taken very seriously, especially regarding digital alteration of published photographs.
It is about time that photo manipulation comes to a stop in our newspapers and magazines. These images influence people all over the world, and it has been proven that even changing the darkness of a picture, can persuade someone’s view. Photo manipulation is acceptable to a certain extent, but the line needs to be drawn somewhere.

Works Cited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_manipulation
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/farid/research/digitaltampering/
http://www.nppa.org/professional_development/self-training_resources/eadp_report/digital_manipulation.html