PhotoShop

Chasing Daisy has an interesting link about a photographic scavenger hunt with a link to a discussion on manipulating photos using PhotoShop. Since I make my living by taking photographs, I found it very interestng.

I’d like to note that like many professions, photography has different fields of expertise. I work in the newspaper industry so the rules for altering photos are pretty well known. Simply, you don’t place or remove anything that wasn’t there when the photo was taken. If the photos can’t be trusted, then neither can the words. But, if you look at photos taken for advertising, I’d guess that most of them have been heavily manipulated.

If you read the discussion, you will also see that someone has posted a link to the proper use of the product name Photoshop. One of the don’ts is that you should not use the word Photoshop as a verb (i.e. “he photoshopped the eyes”). Now this is just my opinion, but (always watch out for a “but”, it’s the transition for completely denying what was previously said;)) I don’t believe in giving corporations control over how we use our own language. If anything, it gives the product more exposure. It I were writing a book I’d add the trademark symbol. I’m not. I’m writing a blog. My writing reflects, in general, how I speak. I don’t say “the picure looks like it was manipulated by using Adobe’s trademarked product called Photoshop.” I say, “It looks photoshopped,” and everyone knows what I mean.

Anyway, I learned photography during the old days, when I developed my own film, knew the difference between cold light and condenser enlargers, and the difference between different films and papers. I have a historical background from which to draw my ethics. It will be interesting to see how those morés change as younger people, who do not have that background, take over the field.