Digital+Photography

=Digital Photography=

toc The innovation of digital technology has brought a new meaning to the art of photography. Before this innovation, photographers used a camera that captured images on a film. This film was then developed through a chemical process and transferred onto photographic paper in a darkroom Also the film used to capture the images was very unreliable. It would get damaged if exposed to sunlight, rain, snow or if store for pro-longed periods without being developed. This long and tedious process of photography changed with the introduction of digital photography and the release of the digital camera in the 1990s. An example of a digital camera is seen below: The digital camera allows images to be captured instantly on a memory card and allows the artist to store, re-use and manipulate images as they see fit. Digital cameras are very different from the conventional camera. Instead of using a chemical and mechanical process to take and produce images, the digital camera is based soley on electronics and the small computers that are working inside of each camera.

=Manipulation of Images=

The advent of the digital camera and digital photography has lead to the act of photographic manipulation. Manipulation is a form of influencing a person so that the individual believes what you want them to believe, through deception and dishonest practices.

Photographic manipulation has brought about the idea of photographic truth. Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright discuss photographic truth in their book //Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture// and say that "as images produced by the mechanical devise of a photographic camera, photographs have the power to project images of truth and to be seen as unmediated copies of reality" (Sturken and Cartwright 2001, 362). Sturken and Cartwright go on to discuss the myth of photographic truth, which means that "photographs are understood to be evidence of actual people, events and objects of the past, even though they are relatively easy to manipulate" (Sturken and Cartwright 2001, 362). Therefore, the idea of photography has brought about the device of manipulating images and taking away the truth value that any image can hold.

Even though photographic manipulation was an issue with the conventional camera, the digital camera has brought about a new problem of photographic manipulation through the use of the digital camera and the software provided to individuals that give them the opportunity to manipulate images. The manipulation of digital photography takes the truth value out of the original image and produces an unrealistic image. Photographic manipulation takes the reality out of the image

Two examples of digital manipulation can be seen below, as the colours in the two images have been digitally altered:



By looking at each of the two images in these examples, it is difficult to determine which is the original and which has been digital manipulated. The size of the images hints that the image on the left is the original and the image on the right has been digitally manipulated. However, how does the viewer know that the image on the left is in fact the original? It is possible that the image on the left has also been manipulated, and only the original artist, the photographer, knows what the original image looks like.

The digital photo has become an intricate part of the the multimedia computing experience. Programs such as iphoto and Photoshop-elements are now bundled with most new personal computers. These user-friendly programs have made photo-editing possible for even the novice user. Along with e-mail and text messaging, it is now every simple to edit, share and exchange photos between family and friends.

=False Perceptions with the use of Digital Photography=

The advancements of digital photography brings with it a foreseeable risk, as it makes it difficult for viewers to distinguish between what is real and what is fiction. Some examples include the controversy in November 2001, where the National Capital Commission, the Crown Corporation was responsible for planning and developing Canada's National Capital Region. They published a promotional brochure in a magazine for the city of Ottawa that featured a digitally enhanced photo on its cover (Photogrpahic Truth in the Digital Era). The brochure blended a view of Parliament Hill from one end of the Rideau canal, with a more picturesque section of the "world's longest skating rink" (Photogrpahic Truth in the Digital Era). Even the section of the canal they selected was inverted, in order to create a more symmetrical image. The issue was not that the NCC had used a compilation of photos, but rather that they had presented this image as a real Ottawa scene (Photographic Truth in Digital Era).



Some images show that it is starting to get difficult to identify a point where truth is lost and when the picture perceives false information. There is one other potential problem with digital image-making. During the trial of O.J. Simpson, our credibility was damaged, when a reputable news organization was caught lying to the public. //Time// magazine received widespread criticism for manipulating a cover photograph of O.J. Simpson's police mug shot. //“Time// darkened the handout photo creating a five o'clock shadow and a more sinister look” (Sturken and Cartwright, 23). There are two issues here: one is a question of photographic ethics and the other is a question of racial insensitivity. They changed the photo from what it was into what they wanted it to be. Therefore, it can be seen that in this digital era, our sense of the truth in magazines may be changing and revealing the lack of visual truth in what we view.



Furthermore, false visual perceptions are surrounded in the fashion and beauty industry. In which, “air-brushed and digitally enhanced portrayals of ideal male and female beauty promote standards of attractiveness that are impossible to achieve” (Kobre, par.1). The September 1994 issue of //Mirabella// featured a beautiful cover model with a caption that read //Who is the Face of America//? It turned out that the ‘face of America’ appearing on the cover was not one model, but a composite picture that was created by combining pictures of six different women, creating a flawless image (Photogrpahic Truth in the Digital Era). The strength of digital photography lies in its ability to glorify, and glamorize the object.



Another issue brought up by a celebrity with regards to digital manipulation, is when Kate Winslet sued GQ Magazine for extensively manipulating her image and making her look very thin!



=Photography & Its Transformation to Digital Form=

While it is true that digital cameras, digital media and various manipulation software have brought about an abundance of ways to manipulate images, it is important to note that prior to the development of the digital camera there were ways to manipulate images. Traditional, analog, silver based photography has always been seen as a way to represent a “photographic truth”, yet even with long, tedious work in the dark room alongside the chemicals of the developer, stop and fix, darkroom photographers have the power to alter an image from the negative to the actual image projected on the photographic paper or surface. Photographers that work in the traditional form can flip, change the image to the negative, doge, burn, overexpose, underexpose, double exposed and even use colour tinting to adjust photographs. Manipulation is not only reserved for digital manipulation but traditional methods as well.

Although the following image is not a professional photograph in any way, it is an example of how manipulation in the darkroom can occur:



This photograph has been manipulated in the darkroom by dogging the clouds in the area in which the figure was to appear and then burning the figure onto the image with a second exposure. Although manipulation is more time consuming in the darkroom, it can be done as well.

While digital technology has become the mainstream and has influenced the invention of more recent technological developments, it has not replaced traditional photography as a whole. Manipulation of photographs still takes place using the traditional methods in the darkroom as well as using the new form of digital manipulation.

=The Pros and Cons of Digital Manipulation=

Digital manipulation has been seen with both positive and negative outcomes. Meltzer brought up the question in her article about “what makes the difference between a positive use of a photo manipulation and an abuse of it?” (Meltzer 2006). With the impact that digital manipulation has had on society, they has definitely become hard to distinguish.

Although we may not notice it, digital manipulation is used in the majority of, if not all, modern day advertisements. These creators of advertisements use digital manipulation to give already idolized models the perfect body image. This perfect body image is used by advertisers as a marketing scheme to sell their product, giving the message that if you buy this product you will also be blessed with this look of perfection. While digital manipulation benefits advertisers, it brings forth a negative connotation on how one view's their own body based on these manipulated figures.

Manipulation has also been frowned upon in many of its uses, such as the much talked about manipulation of the O.J. Simpson’s police mug shot on the cover of TIME magazine as discussed above. In addition to the question of “racial insensitivity” that it provides, the darkened image and face presupposes that he is guilty even before the court has decided its verdict.

After the September 11th attack on the World Trade Centres, a photograph was circulated and became known via e-mail saying that the following picture was “a photo of a tourist being photographed just seconds before the tragedy” and that “the camera containing the shot was found in the rubble of the twin towers” (Tallim 2006). Although it was originally believed that this image was real, it was discovered that it was in fact a digitally manipulated photograph taken from two other images on the Internet. Other digital manipulations of this image can be found at the [|Tourist of Death] site which originally created a gallery based on this image:



The issues of authenticity that are raised in images such as these are brought forth in the criminal justice system when the decision arises as to whether or not digital evidence should be admissible as evidence in court. If an "image presented in court or analyzed for medical evaluation may have gone through several adjustments after it was captured…a question may arise as to whether the adjustments made were valid for the application, or if the adjustments resulted in a misrepresentation" (Digital Image Integrity). These are the issues that digital manipulation brings to the real world when courts try to analyze the truth value in an image.

There have been a number of cases in the last decade that have brought into question the use of digital technology and its authenticity. One of these cases is the State of Washington vs. Eric Hayden, 1995. This was a homicide investigation where the “case was taken through a Kelly-Frye hearing in which the defense specifically objected on the grounds that the digital images were manipulated. The court authorized the use of digital imaging and the defendant was found guilty” (Staggs 2006). This verdict will impact future court proceedings and the issues surrouding digitally manipulated pieces of evidence.

While there have been many negative views on the use of digital manipulation, digital imaging has brought forth a new form of art which brings many possibilities to photography and film. Hollywood films depend largely on digital inputs, such as “Tom Hanks’ image [that was] digitally integrated into actual historical footage in the film Forrest Gump; Jurrasic Park’s Dinosaurs; the creatures, space crafts and worlds in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace; and, of course, the technical (if not critical) triumph of computer generation, Final Fantasy” (Tallim 2006). Without the use of digital manipulation, the images in these movies would not have been possible and society would not have been able to enjoy the fantacies that these films bring to our world.

There are both positive and negative aspects of digital technology and what it has brought to art, advertising, photography, as well as forensics and law. With the abundance of manipulation, brought about by digital photography, there will always be a grey area that critics question as to whether it uses manipulation in a positive way or whether it falls in the area of abusing the technology.

=See Also=


 * Bluetooth
 * E-mail
 * Photography and Digital Innovation

=Works Cited=

“Digital Image Integrity”. February 16, 2006. Online at: .

“Digital Truth”. American Photography: a century of images. Retrieved on February 16th, 2006. .

History of Digital Photography - http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210380/photography/digital/history.htm

Kobre, Ken. “Positive/Negative Photojournalism Review.” //Photojournalism: The Professional's Approach//. Retrieved on February 2006.

Meltzer, Bonnie. “Digital Photography ~ A question of Ethics”. February 16, 2006. Online at: .

“Photographic Truth in the digital Era.’ Media Awareness Network. Retrieved on February 18th, 2006. .

Staggs, Steven. “The Admissibility of Digital Photographs in Court”. February 17, 2006. Online at: 

Sturken, Marita and Lisa Cartwright (2001). //Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture//. New York: Oxford University Press.

Tallim, Jane. “Photographic Truth in the digital Era.” Media Awareness Network. February 14, 2006. .

Wikipedia (2006). //Manipulation//. Online at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manipulation, consulted on February 23, 2006.

Wilson, Tracy V., K. Nice and G. Gurevich (2006). //How Digital Cameras Work//. Online at: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/digital-camera.htm, consulted on February 23, 2006.

Images
9/11 tourist - http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/teachable_moments/photo_truth.cfm

Digital Camera - [|http://campus.umr.edu/staffco/StaffDay/Staff%20Day%202005/digital%20camera.jpg]

Manipulation 1 - http://www.samys.com/images/dsb/manipulation.jpg

Manipulation 2 - http://www.samys.com/images/dsb/manipulation2.jpg

O.J. Simpson, Mirabel, Ottawa Scene - http://www.media-awarness.ca/english/resources/educational/teachable_moments/photo_truth.cfm