For some time now I've pondered whether I should tweak my photo's, or manipulate them, and how far I should take it.
Trouble is, where is the line or should there even be a line ? what constitutes a manipulated image ?
There has been a lot of talk of late about airbrushing in magazines and how these "perfect" models are warping peoples views (especially young people) of how they should look, and to be honest I agree that the images you see in most every magazine aren't a true representation of what the particular person or persons look like, and it may be doing more harm than good.
The reality is however that, that sort of image sells magazines, and as with most things it comes down to money, everyone has to make a living right ? although if we as consumers of this kind of media stopped buying it, then maybe they'd listen and use the airbrush a little less.
For me personally the reason I manipulate my photo's is simple, I like doing it, I see no harm in tweaking the colours of an image for a more pleasing look, but even this could be a step too far because the edited image is no longer a true representation of the original scene, I guess it depends on peoples views (back to the whole "art is subjective argument")
There's a time and a place for tweaking,editing or manipulating images, I guess as an example it's not a good idea to change the colouring of a flower photograph, especially if it's for identification purposes, or for some kind of book where you need a real life (or as near to it) representation, but it's okay to play about with the same flower photo for artistic reasons, so maybe it's down to common sense ? trouble is there doesn't seem to be much about these days.
I've had this kind of argument before with people, but I think to an extent it stifles creativity, I see no harm in tweaking an image (unless of course we're talking magazine covers or flower guide books) and you only have to look at the myriad of photography related apps for smart phones to know that people like being creative with their pictures.
But as a my daughter, and to a lesser extent my son grow up I find myself wondering if things have got so out of hand that the types of magazines and such like that line the many shelves of just about every shop and supermarket are causing a great deal of damage to young people.
As an example today I made a trip into the city (as I often do) and I could have quite easily lined about 40 or more people who were dressed and looked almost identical, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with being fashionable, but at what price ? these people all looked like clones, same clothes,hair,make up and the same types of phones and bags and such like, where's the individuality ? this is what I meant people being warped by the way the media seems to think people should look, I'd even go so far as to guess that most of them all read the same kind of magazine.
So what's to be done ? to be honest I have no idea, but a little realism wouldn't go amiss, as I said if we stop buying this type of thing maybe the companies behind it might take a step back and listen ? or perhaps it's something more grass roots than that, maybe we as parents need to show our kids that how they look is just right, they don't need to be a certain clothes size and wear their hair in a certain way, as long as they are healthy and happy does it matter if they don't wear the right brand of shoe to fit the current fashion trend ? does it matter if they get a spot ? or a freckle in the wrong place ?
To be honest I've been around a bit and I've never met anyone who looks like the models on the covers of just about every magazine you see, I'm talking perfectly thin, no spots or blemishes, not a hair out of place or a curve that's not quite the right sort of curve.
Keep it real I say, the world will be a much nicer place if people are who they are, and not what a magazine or fashion company says they should be, and with that I'll leave you with this video, which basically says what I was trying to, but in a much better way.
As it says at the bottom of the video - ' This commercial isn’t real, and neither are society’s standards of beauty.'
Click the link and enjoy.
Trouble is, where is the line or should there even be a line ? what constitutes a manipulated image ?
There has been a lot of talk of late about airbrushing in magazines and how these "perfect" models are warping peoples views (especially young people) of how they should look, and to be honest I agree that the images you see in most every magazine aren't a true representation of what the particular person or persons look like, and it may be doing more harm than good.
The reality is however that, that sort of image sells magazines, and as with most things it comes down to money, everyone has to make a living right ? although if we as consumers of this kind of media stopped buying it, then maybe they'd listen and use the airbrush a little less.
For me personally the reason I manipulate my photo's is simple, I like doing it, I see no harm in tweaking the colours of an image for a more pleasing look, but even this could be a step too far because the edited image is no longer a true representation of the original scene, I guess it depends on peoples views (back to the whole "art is subjective argument")
There's a time and a place for tweaking,editing or manipulating images, I guess as an example it's not a good idea to change the colouring of a flower photograph, especially if it's for identification purposes, or for some kind of book where you need a real life (or as near to it) representation, but it's okay to play about with the same flower photo for artistic reasons, so maybe it's down to common sense ? trouble is there doesn't seem to be much about these days.
I've had this kind of argument before with people, but I think to an extent it stifles creativity, I see no harm in tweaking an image (unless of course we're talking magazine covers or flower guide books) and you only have to look at the myriad of photography related apps for smart phones to know that people like being creative with their pictures.
But as a my daughter, and to a lesser extent my son grow up I find myself wondering if things have got so out of hand that the types of magazines and such like that line the many shelves of just about every shop and supermarket are causing a great deal of damage to young people.
As an example today I made a trip into the city (as I often do) and I could have quite easily lined about 40 or more people who were dressed and looked almost identical, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with being fashionable, but at what price ? these people all looked like clones, same clothes,hair,make up and the same types of phones and bags and such like, where's the individuality ? this is what I meant people being warped by the way the media seems to think people should look, I'd even go so far as to guess that most of them all read the same kind of magazine.
So what's to be done ? to be honest I have no idea, but a little realism wouldn't go amiss, as I said if we stop buying this type of thing maybe the companies behind it might take a step back and listen ? or perhaps it's something more grass roots than that, maybe we as parents need to show our kids that how they look is just right, they don't need to be a certain clothes size and wear their hair in a certain way, as long as they are healthy and happy does it matter if they don't wear the right brand of shoe to fit the current fashion trend ? does it matter if they get a spot ? or a freckle in the wrong place ?
To be honest I've been around a bit and I've never met anyone who looks like the models on the covers of just about every magazine you see, I'm talking perfectly thin, no spots or blemishes, not a hair out of place or a curve that's not quite the right sort of curve.
Keep it real I say, the world will be a much nicer place if people are who they are, and not what a magazine or fashion company says they should be, and with that I'll leave you with this video, which basically says what I was trying to, but in a much better way.
As it says at the bottom of the video - ' This commercial isn’t real, and neither are society’s standards of beauty.'
Click the link and enjoy.
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