Recently I read with some amusement the recent uproar over a local hairstylist’s manipulation of a photograph – he superimposed his image alongside that of actress Nicole Kidman’s. With this photograph, he falsely claimed to have styled Nicole Kidman’s hair for various public events and used that to advertise his hair salon.
Pic on the left: Nicole Kidman with local hairstylist Jonal Chong: Pic on the right: orginal - Nicole Kidman in the same pose and dress with Spanish director Alejandro Amenabar
Many of us think that the manipulation of images was only made possible with Photoshop. While the software certainly makes manipulation easy, there have actually been fake photographs since the invention of photography.
Historical Image Manipulation
The image below was taken in 1917 by 2 young girls in England, with a simple camera. Some people today still believe the photograph is real.
A "Fairy" photograph from 1917 from Cottingley, England by Elise Wright and Frances Griffiths
With digital manipulation possible, there is virtually no limit to what can be done to an image. I like to correct my photographs to accentuate the aesthetics – brighten it a little, sharpen it up here and there. Occasionally, I entertain my toddler son by superimposing whimsical additions such as a bow-tie or rabbit teeth over photographs of him.
The important questions when we manipulate an image are, why are we doing this, and what are our purposes and intentions?
How ethical is it to manipulate the image?
I believe the answer is if the picture is taken for personal or artistic purposes only, then pretty much anything goes because only aesthetic considerations come into play. Manipulation only becomes a problem, and a question of ethics, when the artist or photographer lies about his motivations, methods, and conclusions, and presents images with the purpose to intentionally deceive.
References
Chan, R, 2011, My Paper, Was Singapore hairstylist with Nicole Kidman, viewed 13 February 2011, <http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110106-256620.html>
Lodriguss, J, Catching the Light, viewed 14 February 2011, <http://www.astropix.com/HTML/J_DIGIT/ETHICS.HTM>
How ethical is it to manipulate the image?
I believe the answer is if the picture is taken for personal or artistic purposes only, then pretty much anything goes because only aesthetic considerations come into play. Manipulation only becomes a problem, and a question of ethics, when the artist or photographer lies about his motivations, methods, and conclusions, and presents images with the purpose to intentionally deceive.
References
Chan, R, 2011, My Paper, Was Singapore hairstylist with Nicole Kidman, viewed 13 February 2011, <http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110106-256620.html>
Lodriguss, J, Catching the Light, viewed 14 February 2011, <http://www.astropix.com/HTML/J_DIGIT/ETHICS.HTM>
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