Digital Image Manipulation
The ease with which anyone can now do digital image manipulation has changed photography more than any piece of digital kit that has so far been devised. But just how far should digital image editing go?
The Ethics of Photo Editing in the Digital Darkroom
Talk to ten photographers and they will each have their own opinions about the ethics of image editing. The challenging point is that every digital image really needs some basic adjustments for optimal quality. Software imaging programs like Photoshop make the option of ‘playing’ with your photos so much easier and therefore very tempting.
The question remains, ‘How far is too far?’
On the one hand it is understandable that freelance photojournalists have an obligation to make absolute minimal adjustments to their shots. In fact, some who have broken these rules have been fired for doing the wrong thing. At the other end of the spectrum, photo artists and art directors on women’s magazines, feel totally righteous to manipulate their cover shots.
Of course, all of this raises the question of acceptability of the extent of image manipulation in a broader context. In the end, it comes down to the individual photographer taking personal responsibility for their images in a particular field of photography.
It’s well worth reflecting on how much digital manipulation you are comfortable with – and to take great care not to cross the boundary into what could considered to be unethical practices.
If you found inspiration on our digital image manipulation page, feel free to browse the following pages too:
Related Pages
* Image Editing Basics
* Image Editing Programs
* Digital Workflow
Hope you found our discussion on digital image editing useful!
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