DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Is it time we disclosed image edits with universal symbols?

Oct 1, 2019 by Dunja Djudjic 17 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

YouTube video

I believe that most of us edit our images to a certain extent. But if you’re a photojournalist, the amount of editing you can apply is minimal. If you go overboard, your work may even be considered unethical. But can this be solved differently? Should photojournalists be allowed to edit images if they openly disclose it? Michael The Maven discussed this in his latest video, and it’s certainly an interesting topic.

Michael’s video is a follow-up to another of his videos he posted about a month ago, about photojournalists who were caught cheating. In that video, he listed four basic rules of photojournalism:

  1. Do not direct
  2. Do not heavily edit
  3. Do not mislead context
  4. Do not steal

A YouTube user max d. machy left a comment on that video which inspired Michael to film the latest one. The comment reads:

“Journalism should be allowed to make use of creative techniques. To illustrate issues. To stop people moving away from print and quality online media to ridiculous social media posts. That’s my view despite your excellent arguments.

A way out of the dilemma would be to disclose the treatment, ideally with symbols indicating whether there was an interaction, a staging or editing going on.

Not allowing the photographer to talk to the subject takes away an essential element of portrait shots. Or somehow it is trying to limit the story-telling abilities of the photographers. Which would only work for robots taking photos.”

Michael agrees with Max that it could be a good idea to disclose edits in documentary images with a set of universal symbols. This way, photojournalists could use edits such as cropping, removing a distracting element, or even AI in their photos. But they should still represent reality, and I believe that the edits shouldn’t change the context and the story, only add to the artistic expression of the photographer.

Now, I am not sure this is a good idea in photojournalism. Although photographers can disclose with symbols that they edited photos, we still can’t know to which extent they were edited. We can’t say whether the edits influenced the context and altered the story. But on the other hand, I believe that these symbols could be a good idea, only in different genres.

There are so many beauty and fashion images in magazines, on billboards, ads, and of course on social media. They make people create a distorted picture of reality, and they set totally unrealistic beauty standards. Disclosing edits in photos like this could make people more aware of the fact that no one has flawless skin, “perfect” body or anything like it. Although the fashion and beauty industry still requires perfectly retouched images, noting that they were retouched could affect the viewers (especially young girls). It could reduce the negative impact on their mental health.

What do you think? Is it a good idea to disclose image edits in photojournalism? If not, would you apply it in different genres? Or you’d ditch it altogether?

[Disclosing Image Edits With Universal Icons – is it time? via ISO 1200]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

This artist edits photos in real life, and the result is brilliant 34 Edits To A Single Road Photo – And Who Won The Best Edit Challenge Bentley shoots High End ad with iPhone 5S – Edits with iPad This panel randomly provides textures for your Photoshop edits

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: editing, journalism, photojournalism

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.net

About Dunja Djudjic

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

« It’s totally ok to ask for help with your work
B&H has knocked $1,000 off the price of the Nikon D5, ahead of the D6 release »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts

  • SmallRig x Mikevisuals Tracking POV Kit is an interesting if niche camera rig
  • Modern-day Snow White wins International Wedding Photographer of the Year
  • The slow death of creativity in modern photography
  • Holiday Gift Guide – Our favourite gadgets and accessories of 2023
  • Stability AI’s new AI generator creates images faster than you imagine them

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy