Friday, November 30, 2007

Photo Doctoring

1. The University of Wisconsin wished to present itself as a culturally diverse school in their application brochures, but the most exciting photo of the student body happened to show an all-white crowd. A black student's face was cropped out of another photo and placed into the crowd, using the modified photo for the brochure cover. University officials weren't aware the action would have any consequences, and consider the choice now to be an error in judgement. When confronted about the photo modification, they apologized and found a new photo to reprint in their brochures from now on.
2. It's justifiable as a college president to wish to present your campus as diverse. But manipulation is the wrong way to go about things, because it makes an appearance of something that isn't true. Altering the way a photo presents things, at least the things that matter or have an effect, is like telling a visual lie.

1. The most unethical photo manipulation is the one presenting the soldier in the gulf war. It manipulates a very emotional situation to subtly alter the way the viewer thinks about the soldier.
2. The least unethical is the National Geographic cover of the pyramids. Because it does not alter the appearance or position of a person, it does not change the way that person is viewed. The pyramids are not going to get offended for being moved closer together!

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