Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 11:35 AM 9/14/99 -0700, Frank Conley wrote: >My disillusionment with the >news business came while I was at The Tennessean and saw at least two >of my pictures flipped for better page composition (i.e. they wanted a >person facing to the left instead of to the right, and would use the >mirror of the image). This type of activity undermines the credibility >inherent in a photograph. Sad but true. I don't object to Photoshop and news photos. Photoshop can also make a picture look more like the real subject it represents than traditional darkroom techniques (burning and dodging). And that's the point. Unfortunately, too many word-herders end up getting the job of layout at newspapers. They don't understand the issues involved in flopping pictures (not to mention it's so obvious to the readers who were there in most cases that they immediately know something's wrong - which undermines the paper's credibility). And such tired old layout rules (guy should be looking off the page) are proven by research to not only be meaningless to readers, but doesn't help layout anyway. With exceptions. It's a basic incompetence of the people in power at that newspaper. Sad. Eric Welch St. Joseph, MO http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch Multitasking: Screwing up several things at once...