Photo Manipulation – Photojournalism vs. Fine Art Landscape Photography

Altered Kent State Photo

Altered Kent State Photo

Original Kent State Photo

Original Kent State Photo

(Second in a series of six articles on photo manipulation)

When looking at beautiful photographic prints created today, the question of manipulation often comes up.  Many consumers have a preconceived notion that manipulating a photo is unacceptable and have the mistaken belief that the best photographers do not manipulate their photos.  That hard and fast rule of never manipulating a photo applies only to documentary photography.  The reputation of magazines, newspapers and the photojournalist can be forever tarnished when they manipulate their photos.  An example of this was the 1970 Pulitzer Prize winning photo by John Filo which shows a student, Mary Ann Vecchio, kneeling over the body of a fellow student Jeffrey Miller shot in the Kent State University riot. Study the photos, can you see what was altered or manipulated?

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