Montage: Activity 3

Activity 3

• As editors exercise their ever-increasing power over information control, what limits would you impose on them as to the extent to which they can manipulate the photographic image? 
• Devise a series of guidelines that will control the release of images that have been constructed for media use so that the public is aware as to the extent of the manipulation.
  

  

  Doctored Image of President Hosni Mubarak at Mideast peace talks!

  

  Un-doctored Photo

  
  
  My Response
  As editors gain more and more control over what they can change within an image, it is important for us to be able to distinguish a difference between the real thing and the forgeries. Of course, setting regulations for these editors would be a great help in this situation. If I was in the position to tell these people what they can and can't alter I would say one thing, don't change anything that doesn't need to be changed. I say this because there are things that should not be on the cover of a magazine or the public news broadcast (such as an angry pedestrian flipping the bird or even nudity). Manipulating an image isn't entirely a bad thing, it can help clarify what certain objects are (by zooming in) or it just makes the image look more appealing (changing vibrance, contrast, etc.), these kind of edits are acceptable for publicly released media; cropping an image and moving the president of Egypt to make it look like he is leading other men into a peace talk isn't right, it's flat out lying. In conclusion, I don't think images should be changed or manipulated a lot from what they originally were, a few touch ups never hurt but moving/adding things to create a whole new meaning to the picture is wrong if used for the wrong purposes (entertainment vs. fooling the public). Below are some pictures I think are manipulated the right way and the wrong way..
  
  

  

  World Trade Center Hoax - WTCHoax.com
  

  This image is manipulated in the wrong way, instead of editing the color or brightness, an airplane was added into the background. A simple tourist image is turned into an almost surreal image all because an airplane was added, making the viewer feel like this image was taken at just the right time and that the man is now dead, which is not the case.

  

  World Trade Center - AVAXNews.com
  

  Not the most beautiful image I've ever seen but it follows the suggestions from above. The image was edited for color, and exposure. The explosions weren't added, the debris isn't fake, this picture is real and I feel like it has just as much of an impact as the fake one above and looks to be of better quality too.