Photojournalism Ethics;; An attempt at coherency. [[also a short comment on the Dove video]]

An individuals reality is the responsibility of that individual; a photograph can no sooner convey a truth than an individual can define a truth. Everything is relative. In that mindset, maybe situational ethics are the only kind of ethics a photographer can follow. Ethics are relative to every photographer--therefore a single ethical code could be interpreted and applied differently by every photographer.


The alterations made to the female shot for the billboard included the lengthening of her neck, the growth of her eyes, a complete revamping of her skin tone and complexion, adjustments in levels and contrast as well as a general redesign to the tone of the shot. Because Dove is attempting to convey a less unattainable, unrealistic example of beauty to the public, their choice to do this may be slightly less appropriate than another beauty product company to market in the same manor. Fashion photography differs from photojournalism not only in the content of the matter photographed but also in the message that is conveyed to each respective audience. Ethics are relative to each. Reality is relative to everyone; it is what it is regardless.

The Controversy of Ethical Editing

A controversy erupted when the University of Wisconsin-Madison cropped in an African American individual in attempt to portray the universities "diverse student population. The publications editor justified his action in that the unaltered photograph, depicting an all white crowd of students falsely represented the student body. Opponents to this add in African claim that regardless of any justification, alteration in this form is, on principal, wrong. A formal apology was made and a reprint is currently being considered.

I don't see moving the pyramids closer together on the cover of a magazine as being overly unethical. Maybe if this were a map or some other resource for actual geographical referencing. This edit was purely for aesthetics; I think that's okay in this situation.

I think this crosses the line and is unethical. Politics already have enough controversy in the spin of written word and gossip--an edited picture of an even that did not even occur is unnecessary and, in my opinion, wrong.

Practice con Captions;; attempt at humor.

Artist Donald Hommleton completes his addition to the Optical Illusion Museum in May of 2006. When asked what exactly the illusion was, Hommleton became irritated offering only the statement that "...[his] art transcends all that can be defined in the spoken language." Hommleton recently finished his third stint at Gateway Rehabilitation Center and claims that this June will be his 1 month mark for a drug free life.

Sam and Ron Jefferson work hard to replicate a scene from "The Hunter and The Bird" for Food Chain Awareness Week in Montana. Although the actors appear to be in danger, the directors assured our staff that all precautions were taken to ensure optimum safety.

Outraged soccer player David Davidson roars in North Dakota as the national championship game comes to a close. Davidson and his fellow Dakota Ducklings put up a good fight, almost scoring in the last quarter of the game, however history proved too powerful to overcome and the seven game losing streak continued.

Toil in the Fields

A farmer works at a laver (edible seaweed) farm at Gutong Village in Fujan Province, China.



Repetition in the lines going both vertically and horizontally; allows the man on the boat to stand out in contrast to the pattern present in the rest of the photo.






Is This Seat Taken?
A deputy waits before French President Nicolas Sarkozy's speech to members of the ruling party UMP (Union for a Popular Movement) at the

Chairs lined up in rows shot at diagonal angle repeat to draw attention to the man on the phone.

The Blues

Performers rehearse for the opening ceremony of the 6th National City Games in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province. The sporting meet will begin on Oct. 25 in Wuhan.

Square blue sheets over a blue floor create a visual as well as textual pattern with in the frame. Doesn't so much draw attention to anything as it balances the photo and adds interest to the over all shot.

Sugar Hill

The photographer used skills in multimedia production and audio recording to put together the slide show. She also showed skills in personality and perseverance; to obtain pictures of matters as personal as those she did require someone of strong character. The incorporation of multimedia and talented photography work allowed the reader to better internalize the message conveyed by the photographer. The added movement, dialogue and music proved powerful and sincere.

Photoshop Ordeal.

First shoot; reflect and respond.

I chose to shoot at work, which was both convenient in that the subject matter is something I am familiar with and passionate about, and also in that this is where I spend the majority of my time. The main challenges I had were finding the right moments to take pictures. I shot both new hires attempting to figure out the way things work and various study groups that tend to congregate in the evenings. Its awkward; capturing individuals with whom little, if any, relationship exists. Its hard for individuals being shot as well I think. A photograph can be a very personal thing. I did my best to appear confident and well versed in what I was attempting to capture. I hoped that my relaxed and calm appearance would project on those that I was shooting and maybe pacify any insecurities they had with the ordeal. In the instances that this was not successful, I tended to stop and wait for a more ideal opportunity.

Not getting in the way and finding interesting angles presented the most challenging technical aspects of this shoot for me. I noticed I was taking a lot of pictures from side profile and from the same spot behind the bar. I tried to vary my position around the cafe and use elements like lighting to capture more interesting photos while still not getting in the way of people studying and working.

I focused a lot on capturing something interesting and something that conveyed learning. I spent more time than I think I should have waiting for the right moments than in actually shooting; too much worry about taking a bad picture. Something about film as opposed to digital shots makes me nervous. There isn't a delete button on my SI.

Incorporating various angles and attention to light to take a good shot is probably as complex as I got in regards to advanced techniques for this shoot. Next time though, or maybe sometime before Thursday, I will work harder to pay more attention to technique.

What the pro's are doing;; Sports

Bob Rosato

Shot with: Canon EOS-5D, EF 15mm f/2.8 fisheye, shot at 1/1600 f/2.8.

The shutter speed used allows for a controlled capture of motion with an interesting way of defining focus.

The depth of field combined with the lens used resulted in a picture with a rounded focus and the center of the print to be the object of intrest.

I'm not sure the position, though I am assuming that great consideration was used given the inclusion of the sky and the back lighting directly behind the main car. Maybe the photographer was using a tripod located on the side area just off the track.

9/11 Photos.

"Balance"



"Framing"


"Lines"


"Rule of Thirds"


"Simplicity"

After Printing Post

To clean the negatives, I used photoflow and and special paper product that dried them with out harming the film. Loading the negative into the enlarger was done manually; the negatives fit in a metal device that fit into the enlarger. The process of focusing the negatives was done in two steps. Once with the enlarger itself and once with a separate viewing device. Aperture was controlled manually as well. We tested four different apertures and selected which level of exposure suited our individual pictures best. For the final print, emulsion paper was placed in the enlarger and the film was projected on the paper for the selected amount of time.

Great Black and White Photographers

Alverez

Smith

smith

Negative Critique

My negatives are pretty much non existent in that the film was exposed to light before chemical development occured. I guess my main problem would be that. The one photo that did manage to work out is number 0. I didn't take it though, its the identification photo Kevin took of my face so I could pick out my film. Sort of ironic. As for the film itself, there are water spots that would need to be rinsed before developing if I were going to develop.

Jostens Contest

This image conveys the best story. It says something. Everything happening behind the main element; motion. The shot implies that the girl is existing in her own world at the time of the picture.
















This image has the best action and emotion. Its obvious to me that the boy standing in the back is awestruck and amazed while the boy kneeling in the sun glasses is more intrigued and thoughtfully observant. The action is the flame, but also the action is the boys response to the flame.


















This photo does a good job of filling the frame. The entire shot captures the three girls and the car they're working with. Its from a good angle, or in my opinion it is.

Contest Preview.

ATPI Fall Contest;; Environmental Self Portrait.

This picture, to me, seems personal. Offers insight into the life of an individual--more so the mindset than the life. It tells a story with out words. Powerful in that the lighting and the setting all coincide with the subject or the main element of the picture. Everything fits together; cohesion defined. It seems three-dimensional. The angle the photographer used captures a depth that I would hope to able to incorporate in to work I do later this year.

The Camera

The differences between the SLR and the pinhole camera so artfully crafted by our highschool photojournalism class are many with few similarities. The SLR is complex with interchangeable lenses, viewfinders, eyepieces, flashes and programs and lots of other intensly awesome additions. The pinhole camera, while still serving the function of capturing an image, does so in a much simpler manner with a less involved light path and less control given to the photographer.

Pinhole Photography

There is no person or movement in this image. I do like the focus of the building and the effect of the circular perspective that the shading and trees help create. Very little, if any, warping is present. I liked the majority of the photos I looked at and I don't dislike this one; it just wasn't my favorite image.








While there is no person or defined action, a significant amount of blurring is present in the picture. The blurring could be described as artfully done. The focal point is more relative to location than any single element in the picture. The warping element paired with the blurring enhances the uniqueness of the image. I am a fan of this shot.

greater than/less than

Aaron's one of those kids with an awesome personality and a subtle sense of humor that weaves in and out of all his sarcasm. When I look at this picture, I get emotion with out too much movement. Its subltle but impossible to ignore. Although there is dead space, the candid quality and timing of the shot make this picture pretty alright in my opinion.

The dead space above Roberts head both fails to fill the frame and kind of kills this picture for me. It is a candid shot, however the expression doesn't offer much movement or personality. Its an okay picture but I feel like it could have been taken better.

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