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Photo Manipulation 2

The original photography.

The edited photography. 

 The second edited image is definitely a good example of why a manipulated photography should not be used as press photography. While the original photography is capturing myself and my children during a snowball fight, the edited image would cause great concern and completely mislead the audience about the situation.

 The primary goal of a photography used in press should be to report truthfully on significant events. Photographers should be aware that they act as trustees when taking an image.1) It is their responsibility to report and document visually and further to preserve history in images.1) We already have witnessed during modern times how manipulated press photography can confuse and even harm.  

 When taking a photography intended to use for press, the photographer should be accurate in representing the subject and resist any kind of manipulation. While sometimes minor editing such as cropping or toning is tolerated, it is still under discussion to what extent this kind of editing is acceptable. For instance, years ago there were some photography disqualified from the World Press Photo Contest due to too much cropping or toning as the judges agreed that those ‘minor’ editing can lead to misinterpretation. 2) This kind of judgement can be very subjective. I believe that the photographer should approach manipulating in a very conservative way and edit as less as possible so that the overall context of the photo is preserved.  

 It is also important that photography should not reflect one’s bias. Press photography is an objective visual record which should not mislead the viewers. When photographers have specific stereotypes or biases in mind, this can influence or even emerge on their results. It is important to set aside any kind of judgements while taking an image. In addition, the subject of the photo should not alter the situation which would be another kind of manipulation. This would be the same reason for why the National Press Photographers Association code of ethics prohibits to reward the subject because this would influence the whole situation and therefore not a truthful and accurate presentation of the event.

 I can imagine that taking a press photography requires a lot of self-discipline in order to represent and integrate a real moment. Visual results are easy to understand and have a great impact on instance, therefore consisting a very important part of recording history. Press photographers should bear in mind the great responsibility and work exceptionally professional.

  References

1)    https://www.worldpressphoto.org/contests/photo-contest/code-of-ethics

2)    https://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/17/world-press-photo-manipulation-ethics-of-digital-photojournalism/

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Photo Manipulation

 Three years ago, after long discussions with my family, I finally decided to change my career in order to pursue what had been a vague dream for me: to work in the culinary field. I had always been inspired by fine dining and carefully prepared beautiful dishes, so I decided to go for French cuisine. Before my final move to Canada, me and my family decided to experience real French cuisine in France and planned a Gourmet Trip for about 50 days. We went to France in April 2019, starting from Paris, visiting Nice, Marseille, Lyon, Dijon, Strasbourg, Reims, Rouen, Tours, Bordeaux, and again Paris.

 This edited photograph is the summary of the gourmet experience I had during the trip. It illustrates distinguished dishes I had in Michelin starred restaurants as below. I edited the photograph of each dish from the course menu as a collage in the form of the map of France. I didn't edit the photograph itself except for size as it was my intention to show the originality. I wanted to create an image which symbolizes the importance of the trip to me. The records of the trip is still feeding me in terms of inspiration and ideas. Whenever I have to think of something creative, I look into the photographs of the dishes and remember what kind of ingredients it had, how it tasted, how it went with the wine. Differences in each restaurant, not only the dishes but also in style, atmosphere and characteristics, is giving me a good starting point to brainstorm. It has helped me a lot during my studies and was also an ultimate guide in forming my future career in detail. This edited photograph displays one of the greatest source of my ideas in the form of France.

Les Climats, Paris (11 April 2019)

Epicure in Le Bristol, Paris (14 April 2019)

Les Terrasses de Lyon, Lyon (30 April 2019)

Le Bistro du Bord de l’Eau, Bourgogne (2 May 2019)

L’auberge d’ill, Illhaeusern near Strasbourg (4 May 2019)

 I do not think that the audience will be misguided by my final image. I did not edit the original except for the size as it was my intention to show the originality of each photograph. I wanted to illustrate many photographs in one image but not in an overwhelming manner. That is why I chose to do a collage. My work was to let the audience know what I had experienced in France in a way that minimizes misleading interpretations. I expected the final image to be perceived more as a real moment rather than art. The original photographs will be more informative and serve as a good substitution of the final work as details can be seen.  

  My originals can be definitely used as press photographs. These are documentary photographs which purpose was purely to capture the reality as it is. In addition, the final work could also be used in the press as I did zero alteration to the original photographs except that it was cropped to the shape of the map of France and there would be not much room for misguidance by the audience. I believe the main purpose of news media is to provide the audience with information so that they can take what they need from this. Therefore in news media photographs based on reality should be used only. The photographs should be taken straightforwardly. Moreover I think that photographs used for the press should also have only one intention which is to document the reality as it is rather than to intend making changes. Every photograph has a different perception to reality and the slightest intention can change the way how the photography is taken. It is the audience who should interpret the photographs in their own context.

  I believe that the main difference between art and press photography is about how the work is interpreted. Both can have intentions, whether it is to display a certain message or document the reality. However in terms of interpretations, it is important that press photography has only one or none interpretation but showing the reality, whereas it is conceived as art when everyone perceives the work in a different way.

 In early days when photography was first introduced to the world, it was used to capture and document the world as it is. However in the late 1800s, pioneers such as Oscar G. Rejlander and Henry Peach Robinson started to use photographs to create art. Especially Henry Peach Robinson manipulated photographs using it as a method to art leading to the movement called ‘Pictorialism’ (https://www.britannica.com/technology/Pictorialism). The Pictorialism movement, which emphasizes the beauty of subject matter, tonality, and composition rather than the documentation of reality, was further developed by photographs such as Alfred Stieglitz.

 While some declared their photography to be an art, others went to the complete other direction. As Charles Caffin stated, “there are two distinct roads in photography – the utilitarian and the aestshetic: the goal of the one being a record of facts, and the other an expression of beauty.” (Galassi, 2000, p.11) Their purpose was to document the reality and went to battlefields and wars. One of the first photographs was Robert Fenton. Later photographs recorded everyday life such as Jacob Riis, Lewis Hine, and Dorothy Lange.

 I believe photography is a very special form of art and documentation. It has to be approached carefully regarding its intention. It is mostly perceived as a mean to capture the reality as it is. That is why it is widely used to create a specific image to the audience. The way a photography is displayed can impact the society and used as propaganda. We have seen many times nowadays how a photograph was misleading, spreading fake news, such as the case of Eric Tucker, whose twitter went viral with false information. (https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/20/business/media/how-fake-news-spreads.html) As mentioned before just because it is photography we tend to believe that it shows the reality. However nowadays manipulation and editing photography is easier than ever and it is more spreading fast through SNS. It is now an important job for the audience to determine whether they can believe the photography as documentary or not, as well as how to interpret the work.

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Module 3. Can art be mechanically reproduced?

 Yeen Jang, Taejin Kim, Abhimanyu Joshi, Sang Wook Park, Elsen Cheng

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Q1. When something is reproduced for so many times is that art? What's the importance of the mechanical reproducibility of the art? What was the impact on mechanical reproducibility on the society?                               by Yeen Jang

Even when something is reproduced so many times, we would still say it is art. The first reason is because as technology improves in the 4th industry, many people want to learn and share more quickly about popular art and culture around the world. This influences art and even if art or style is reproduced so many times it is still art. Additionally as more people who share and reproduce different styles, new art styles and new kinds of art are created. Secondly, postmodernism also supports this thinking. Right before postmodernism people resisted against existing ‘traditional’ art. Before postmodernism many people thought that traditional art is very valuable and original and should not be changed. However, as postmodernism was created performance art and popular art such as multimedia were created. Because of postmodernism people approach art more easily and reproduce many styles and famous arts which created more art styles.

There are many reasons why the mechanical reproducibility of art is important. For example, reproducing art can inspire artists to make new styles. Therefore, we should have open minds for the chance of creativity. Also, mechanical reproducibility helps people approach art more easily instead of thinking art should be sacred and only in museums or churches.

Moreover, our society is impacted by mechanical reproducibility in a very positive way. Mechanical reproducibility lets people study and enjoy art all around the world even if they cannot go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Louvre. These days we can see reproduced artwork from the Renaissance period or even from 1960’s with Andy Warhol. People can enjoy this reproduced artwork. Sometimes society can look down on the arts and think that it is not as important as science or business. However, art can bring people happiness and mechanical reproducibility lets people enjoy all types of art. For example, the immersive Van Gogh exhibit that opened last year in Toronto was a hot issue. Mechanical reproducibility let people in Ontario experience his art in a new kind of way. This exhibit can influence people or even refresh people especially during the COVID Pandemic.

Andy Warhol – MAO (F. & S. II.90-99), photo: Sotheby’s (Image: https://publicdelivery.org/andy-warhols-mao)

* References * 

Public Delivery (2020). Andy Warhol's Mao portraits - The story behind.  https://publicdelivery.org/andy-warhols-mao/

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Q2. What is the message of Walter Benjamin's article?              by. Taejin Kim

From the book by Walter Benjamin (2008),” The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” he somehow agrees that mechanical reproduction has broken the barrier that only few people can have opportunities watching and acquiring artistic crafts; since the phenomenon has increased the publicity of art, the chances have been given to worker classes too, so most people can observe arts and acquire knowledge such as background and concepts. However, reproduced arts are not able to illustrate genuine art perfectly as considerable disagreement exists in authenticity; Benjamin has introduced the term, Aura, which can be defined as authenticity and history.

  Based on the two pictures, they look identical, complicated to distinguish which one is reproduced one, but his theory has differentiated those drawings by introducing the tern, the aura; authenticity and the history of the drawing can be observed differently compared to the reproduction. However, the drawing can illustrate to which drawing concepts were applied, what was the background of the drawing, and what the artist’s intention for audiences.

Which Mona Lisa is which? (Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Mona_Lisa)

* References *

Da Vinci, L. (1503-1519). Mona Lisa [Painting]. Paris, France: Musée du Louvre.  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Mona_Lisa

Benjamin, W. (2008). The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction (J. A. Underwood, Trans.). Penguin Books.

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Q3. Is photography art, or contribution to the art? Is it just a tool used by artists?                                               by. Abhimanyu Joshi

This question is one of the most asked questions. Yes, photography is an art.

 Decades ago photography was not considered an as art because of lack of technology and it was used basically on some occasions like weddings etc, “…photography may not only be one of the types of art, it may even be "the" form of modern art- a direct reflection of the modern scientific age (M,Robert, 2012). Photography was invented as an advanced technology of chemistry called as study of light. Lots of emotions are expressed through this piece of art. It totally depends on how a photo is taken.

(Image: https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2011/NYR/2011_NYR_02480_0044_000(andreas_gursky_rhein_ii).jpg)

This picture is of Andreas Gursky’s photograph Rhein II. This was the first picture after which “photography” was called as an art. It was the first photo which was sold at a price of $4.3 million. When the world got to know about it many other photographers started considering photography an art.

Basically, photographs are like paintings with more detailed compositions and meanings. As well there are many types of art using photos which such as moody lighting, using different colour schemes and different patterns. According to me a photograph can turn into a fine art when you click photos using imagination, dedication and time.

* References *

Mapplethorpe, R. (2012). Is photography art? http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/photography-art.htm

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Q4. How and why Henry Peach Robinson created Fading Away? What was the reason?                           by. Sang Wook Park

Fading Away, Henry Peach Robinson (Image: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/302289)

  'Fading Away' is a picture which Robinson exhibited in 1858 and one of his most famous composite picture. This work shows a peaceful death of a young girl surrounded by her grieving family. 'Fading Away' is an imaginary work of Robinson, a combination of photographs. He used five separate negatives to create this single image.

  'Fading Away' created much of controversy at that time, both for its technique in combining photo to create art and the subject. Many viewers thought it was too painful to picture death even though it was imaginary, as photography was mostly a mean to record the actual vision.

  Henry Peach Robinson desired to separate photography from science and classify it as art, the camera being a tool like the brush for the painting. This is known as Pictorialism, a term probably derived from his book 'Pictorial Effect in Photography' (1869). For pictorialists, a photo was more than creating a visual record. A photography is used to reinvent it as art by placing beauty, tonality and composition into it. The photos were manipulated and elevated to be recognized as art such as paintings. For example, Robinson's work 'Carolling' is a combined image, which he planned carefully ahead in a sketch. He took separate images and combined them into one to achieve the composition he wanted to present. He was the leader of the Pictorialist movement, which was heavily attacked on the other side by other photographers such as Peter Henry Emerson who argued that a photographic image should never be altered after exposure. 

 Carolling, Sketch and Final Work (Image: photographyhistory.blogspot.com/2009/02/henry-peach-robinson-1830-1901.html)

* References*

The Art Story. Pictorialism. http://www.theartstory.org/movement/pictorialism/

Kuiper, K. and others (2006). Pictorialism. https://www.britannica.com/technology/Pictorialism

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (1998). Henry Peach Robinson.  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Peach-Robinson#ref12957

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Q5. Photography has impacted the world of art and influenced some changes in the area of accessibility to art. If mechanical reproduction created revolution, what is happening now with the digitalization?                                                      by. Elsen Cheng

Digitalization have simplified the reproduction process and allows more possibility on editing art pieces. As many arts are created digitally nowadays, photos are often saved as a digital file and it is very easy to access to the structure of the photo, alternations such as details can be added or removed as the editor will, so as changing some objects within the photo. This is actually very handy while it comes to the point where there are flaws in the photo and the editor wish to make the photo “perfect”. However editing photos or art pieces are far too easy at the moment and people can be manipulated and by the deceiving information given from the photo, with proper editing skills, a tiny change of the photo can bring out a different concept. 

(Images http://211check.org/category/misinformation-and-and-disinformation-fake-news/)

  As you can see from the photo above there is barely any noticeable difference, but the flag on the soldier’s arm was changed and to give viewers false information. Such changes can make a great difference when the photo is released to the public, while people who were not at the scene would believe what they see, especially on reliable sources they think, so it is actually very dangerous to manipulated photos when the photos are used for misleading purposes.