Good Essay On Photography And Manipulation

New images usually shape the culture of the society in both profound and deep ways. This implies that photojournalism normally has a long and even a cherished tradition of truthfulness. Faking the photographs either by stage direction or picture manipulations has also claimed a long tradition. The media has been criticized for broadcasting very many gruesome images, which have hardened towards the violent injustices. The term photoshopping is slowly becoming synonymous with the photo manipulation. However, this practice is aging out with the new establishment of computer software, which is as old as the photography itself. Some commentators argue that photographic as well as video images can unveil great truths, expose the wrongdoing and neglect. Moreover, they can inspire hope, understanding, and also connect people around the world through using the language of visual understanding. Therefore, photographs can be constructive as well as causing great harm especially if they are callous or heartlessly intrusive and manipulated.
Currently, many people across the globe doubt and even criticize what they read and hear on all media platforms. A 2012 Gallup poll revealed that 6 out of 10 people in the United States were dissatisfied with the type of content they broadcast in TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines. Many journalists and organizations have jointly expressed their commitment to produce accurate and informative news and reports for the public. Despite this commitment, the media houses have given the public reason for concern. This is caused by several factors that need keen scrutiny as they are the main forces behind the media’s failure to meet the stated objectives. Media moguls are one reason as to why vital news, photographs, and other content are manipulated. Various powerful corporations own major media outlets, which exert a very strong influence on the type of stories to be published and how they should appear as well as covered. These corporations are operated for profits; hence any information that seem to affect the profitability projection of the media outlets are neglected or may go unreported. Another influencing aspect is the government since much of what we learn or see in the media has to do with the affairs of the citizens and the government. This implies the government is usually at the verge of convincing the people to accept policies and their officials. Therefore, the government usually dictates what is to be reported and how it should be reported. It is evident that most media houses are in the business of making profits. Whether advertisement is on the TV, newspapers, or magazines they project massive revenues. Additionally, clients will always choose those contents that will improve their image. This implies that photography has never at any given time been truly objective to their commitment.
Obviously, people nowadays do not believe the fact that every photograph is truthful. However, the digital tools being used are assisting people see photography. In the past, people thought that photography is characterized by truthfulness. Digital manipulation has managed to make the photography appear more convincing to the eyes of the people. The presence of technology has facilitated the effectiveness of the digital manipulation. The media has been criticized for showing a lot of gruesome images that the public considers as violent injustices. The advancement in technological perspectives to ensure easy and undetectable pictures and images, which are manipulated to suit the demands of media outlets. Due to the technological improvement, various photographs or pictures are undetectable, hence the public do not show any concerns about the manipulations since they appear real. In case the public detects the digital manipulation, of course, concerns will be raised to demand to know the truth content of the photograph.
Manipulation has existed back then as it has been reflected in the history of the photograph for several centuries. In the 19th century, a French photographer named Gustave Le Gray embraced the use of manipulation. It is clear in the past, some manipulations were tolerated. Many of the earliest manipulated pictures were generally initiated in order to compensate for the new mediums’ technical limitations, particularly the incapacity to register the color. However, it was discovered later that the camera produced distorted pictures instead of real ones. Many people considered photo manipulation as a tool for propaganda. Additionally, the falsification of many photographs was believed to be very notorious and widespread in the Soviet Union under Stalin.
In the modern days, photography manipulation is believed to be very rampant in many media houses as the public usually observe it in the news, advertisements, and magazines globally. The enhancement in technology has boosted the usage of digital tools in manipulating the information to be conveyed. Many media outlets aim at making money; hence they only manipulate according to clients specifications. Moreover, the government usually dictates on the news to be unveiled and those to be omitted as most of the news have to do with the government affairs and its citizens too. It is obvious that most advertisers reject those programs, which tend to represent a bad reputation of the media house or magazine.
In a nutshell, photograph manipulation can either be constructive or destructive to the public. Photography usually represents the cultural minds of the society and thus it many raise anxiety to the public. Photograph manipulation has existed for several centuries as it was tolerated only for good reasons. The improvement in technology has resulted in photo manipulation efficiency since digital manipulation tool is also enhanced appropriately.