Nowadays, it seems like there’s a new controversy every week about some image (usually a magazine cover) being ruined by "too much Photoshop." Sometimes the outcry is so loud, it even prompts an apology. But this week the news took a different turn, and the charge of "too much Photoshop" was used to disqualify the winner in a prestigious photography contest in the UK. In the Take a View Landscape Photographer of the Year contest, photographer David Byrne initially was awarded top prize (and £10,000) but was later disqualified for use of excessive digital manipulation.
The photo in question is a black-and-white image of wooden fishing boats on a beach with Lindisfarne Castle in the distant background. A detailed analysis of the lighting and shadows shows that the original sky in the photo has been replaced.
In this case it is clear that replacing the sky would be a violation of the rules, which state:
Digital adjustments including High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging techniques and the joining together of multiple frames, are allowed in all categories. However, for images entered in Classic view, Living the view and Urban view, the integrity of the subject must be maintained and the making of physical changes to the landscape is not permitted (removing fences, moving trees, stripping in sky from another image etc). The organisers reserve the right to disqualify any image that they feel lacks authenticity due to over-manipulation. The judges will allow more latitude in the ‘Your view’ category, which aims to encourage originality and conceptual thinking.
So a new winner was chosen and the matter is settled. But it reminds us of a larger issue of photographic "authenticity" in the age of Photoshop. As Ben Long has noted here, all photos are manipulated by virtue of the many choices the photographer makes from the moment he or she picks up a camera. Framing the subject, choosing settings, cropping, sharpening, adjusting saturation, and a thousand other potential actions are all used to make an image tell the story the photographer wants it to tell. Where you choose to draw the line between "fact" and "fiction" is up to you, and always an interesting question to ponder.
But if you’re planning to enter a photography contest, just be sure to read the rules before you reach for that content-aware fill.
This article was last modified on November 9, 2012
This article was first published on November 9, 2012
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