Re: [Leica] Re cropping dilema

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca>]

Feli di Giorgio wrote and asked:
Subject: Re: [Leica] Re cropping dilema

Ted wrote:
> > Plain old darkroom stuff, burning in, dodging, cropping is done all
> > the time and been done since the beginning of time.  I mean in nearly
every
> > discipline of photography some manipulation takes place, heck even
> > scenics have burned in clouds or fore-ground to enhance the scene and
it's
> > accepted. But it's blatant computer PS changing the shot to be something
else all
> > to-gether and that is the lowest from of manipulation and journalism
ethics
> > of the worst kind. In your case you could do whatever makes your little
ol'
> > heart happy..... because you are looking for better impact in your
personal
> > picture. And not for use on the front page of the Daily Blat! We printed
out all
> >the cropped photos and looked at them no differently than a photo editor
would.<

 Feli asked:
> Alright, let me make sure I am absolutely clear about what you are
> saying regarding journalistic standards:
>
> It is acceptable to crop the image, unless the cropping alters the
> integrity of the event as it happened.
>
> QUESTION: Is it acceptable to tilt the image, unless the tilting alters
> the integrity of the event as it happened?<<<<

Not necessarily so, because we "straighten" rooms and buildings all the time
where a camera was held poorly and the scene is "tilted" and must be
straightened. Rather than tilting after the fact, there are the "art types"
who tilt their camera to a vomiting angle to make a lousy situation
supposedly look interesting.

And if your question is regarding your thoughts on the bus, hardly, because
how many buses do you see tilting down the road? And in this case tilting
the bus doesn't do anything for the shot anyway. Because the action is the
two guys fighting and best to forget the bus. And tilting can't save a shot
if it's not there in the first place.

> It is NOT acceptable under any circumstances to dodge/burn a photo
> intended for journalistic purposes.<<<

Sure it's acceptable, as that's merely a slight darkening of the outer edges
of the photograph to help keep the viewers attention at the centre of
interest. Or the slight darkening of a face or hot spot, or in reverse a
slight dodging is merely correcting a minor exposure detail.

But surely anyone understanding "over burning" would see the effect as a
mistake of the printer and quite often deters from the impact of the
photograph.

> (In the darkroom or PS). If it's ugly, it's ugly. Too bad, better luck
> next time.<<<

You have no idea how often that happens. Look we all shoot some time where
the exposure / subject just doesn't cut it and it gets turfed into the waste
basket. Period!
And no amount of wailing, discussing will make the shot any better, it just
didn't work! Realize it and move onto the next hopefully better picture!

> I'm going to guess that you are allowed to eliminate dust spots or a
> hair etc?<<<

Now that's almost a stupid question don't you think so in the bright light
of dawn? Of course you can and do. As all that is cleaning up a print where
the darkroom tech did a lousy job cleaning the negative in the first place!
Scanner or enlarger.

> This one is a no-brainer, but here it goes anyway. It is absolutely NOT
> acceptable to manipulate a photo
> intended for journalistic purposes by adding or subtracting any content
> (people, building, anything etc) from
> the original plate. <<<,

That's right and was all the fuss with National geo. a few years back when
they moved the Pyramids for better composition on their cover.

>>A good example would be the digitally recomposed/manipulated shot that
appeared in the LA Times during the Iraq invasion. The penalty for this
offense would be the firing squad.<<<<

You have that perfectly! Only a better and less violent penalty would be to
put the guy in a darkroom printing ID headshot photos for driver licenses
for twenty years! ;-)

>>Did I miss something?<<<

I don't think so and I hope you and others have learned something from these
many member posts triggered by your fighting guys / bus photograph.
Actually this is the type of material and questions much easier discussed in
real life time having a beer or during a seminar.

ted



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