Photo Ethics Essay

People have been altering images for years, yet no uniform guidelines have developed that encompass every medium. What is acceptable in fashion photography may not be acceptable for some magazine covers and almost certainly would not be acceptable in photojournalism or public relations.

The rules for altering photographs are most strict in photojournalism. Most people agree that any alteration to a picture that is going to be used in a journalistic publication is unethical. The purpose of these photographs is to inform the reader of an event. As Hany Farid states in his NPR interview, photos used in newspapers are there to tell a story. If any aspect of that photograph is altered, the story is altered. An aviation photographer on the NPR show believes that some details in a picture can be edited for content. For instance, he believes an image of a gruesome car crash could ethically be made less graphic by editing out or blurring dismembered parts. I do not believe this is appropriate. Farid is correct: the photograph should either be left as is, taken from a different angle, or cropped. These techniques allow the gruesome details to be avoided without changing the accuracy of the picture and are much preferable to alteration.

The guidelines for altering photographs for magazine covers vary depending on the type of publication. Newsmagazines, such as Time and Newsweek, should follow the guidelines adhered to in photojournalism. Farid cites the example of the Time cover featuring O.J. Simpson, which was darkened to make him appear more threatening. This type of alteration is absolutely unethical because of the journalistic nature of the magazine. However, the same rules should not apply to entertainment magazines, such as People and Us Weekly. Because they are not journalistic publications, they have more artistic license with their covers. There was no harm in Redbook placing Julia Robert’s head from one photo on a different photo of her body, unless she objected. In cases like this, magazines should follow two rules. First, to avoid a lawsuit, they should get permission to alter the photograph. Second, they should state that the photo is altered, as Blender did with its Britney Spears cover.

In public relations, photo opportunities are often scheduled and staged. These photographs obviously do not present things as they naturally are. It seems altering public relations photos would not be so different. However, altering public relations photographs is just as unethical as altering photos in journalism. The University of Michigan brochure cover in which someone inserted an African-American student into the crowd at a football game to illustrate its diversity is a good example. This was unethical because it changed the truth of that photograph. Assembling a representatively diverse group of students for a photo shoot would have been a more acceptable way to present the university favorably without lying. Altering public relations photos can very easily lead to propaganda, as happened with pictures of Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union.

The final area where photo ethics must be addressed is fashion photography. This is the medium where ethical guidelines are most relaxed because it is the most artistic. The purpose of fashion photography is to sell a product. Many people argue that models should look like regular people, but designers want their models to look as polished and perfect as possible in order to make their products look better. The fashion photography industry should promote healthy body images, but the audience should realize that these photos are airbrushed and not realistic.

After reading the articles, I better understand the wide reach of photo manipulation. In the future, I will be more objective when I see a photograph, even in a newspaper or newsmagazine. Seeing no longer equals believing. The ease of digital manipulation makes altered images even more common, and all viewers should be mindful of them to avoid being fooled.