Is Photography Ethically Acceptable?

Through the technological advancement of digital photography new doors have open for photographers and their images. But also through these doors new questions have risen on whether or not manipulated photographs are ethically acceptable. People often view photography with the idea that a camera is a simple machine that is only capable of documenting the world exactly as it looks, forgetting about the person behind the camera who decides where to point it and when to press the button. The fact that photography has changed so much since the beginning in 1839 and continues to grow at such a rapid pace can make it hard to tell when a photograph is crossing boundaries or just pushing the envelope. As a society we know that the images we see in

No, because every photograph in the history of photography has been manipulated, removing the tool of Photoshop from the toolbox would disintegrate new and emerging genres of photography, and ultimately society can never remove the “lies” that are advertised for the public, however; many people become drunk on the power that comes with Photoshop and create images that often increase unrealistic expectation on society. Photographers are no different then writers choosing the words for their story or dancers working on choreography, because each artist has to use their moral judgement when creating their art. To begin, the idea of an image that avoids all essence of manipulation is an abstract ideal, for an image to be considered untouched the photographer would have to control him or herself from using; filters, flashes, cropping, retouching, non “normal” lenses, etc. Stripping these tools from photographers would result in low quality images that are comparable to those of snapshots taken by amateur photographers. Every image is manipulated because it was taken with that artist’s intent and creative vision. If a experiment

Although this aspect of photography is based on ones ability to create illusions it is often that these images are impactful and and thought provoking, but they are also known to dance along lines of controversial topics. Even though there were still surreal images being created before Photoshop, like those of Jerry Uelsmann, but the enhancements created with this software have been able to revive these dreamy images. The name itself already suggests a twisted form of reality so the audience is already aware of the “lies” these images support. While surrealism in the relation to art often deals with the artist subconscious compiling imagery that delves into their dreams and fears. But with the addition of the photographic medium the meaning behind the images have the possibility to become even deeper. Billboards and park benches are just a few places that often display works of surrealistic photography, an image that is often created are those for anti smoking campaigns. While we know that the smoke that comes out of a cigarette does not form a skull and crossbones the symbolic imagery creates a new level to the image that is more than aesthetically pleasing. Surreal photographs that are used in advertisement not only create interesting images but also very powerful ones as well. These images often