Visuals lie more than a thousand words

People belives in what they see and now I have a documentary of a false childhood to be used in all future biographies I might write

Visual credibility & ethics

Frozen moment?
We are used to understand photos as reliable documents. Sonesson (1992) defines a photo as an indexial icon. It resembles of the reality but only have a connection to it. Photos does NOT show the reality. What a photographer do is showing a view of reality its is not THE reality by the different choices he do while working. The photographer is a cultural product formed by norms and values and act as an agent for this culture with his work (Ingemann 1997) Question to ask ourself: What is a photo and how it is related to reality.

Photo Manipulation Throughout History

Circa 1860

Rewriting history

Circa 1930

And again

I discover my photographic death. Do I exist? I am a little black, I am a little white, I am a little shit, On Fidel's vest.

2010

2010

Visual manipulation a definition

The meaning in the pictures is altered by adding or removing meaningful elements from the original picture.

How to alter meaning in pictures.

Not only by manipulating the picture. The selection of images. Cropping By writing captions.

And of course manipulating the picture itself. = Process/remove/add elements in the picture

Questions to ask
1. 2. 3. 4. Who is the photographer? When was the photo taken? Why was is taken? What purpose and reason had the photographer? 5. (What equipment was used?) 6. What emotions did the depicted persons have to be photographed?

A credible photo is:

Has a legible, well known and credible sender. Is not a photo in avertisement. Is easy to interpret and understand. The photo has a concrete, natural, clear, lifelike content. Often depictering people that reciever can relate to. Good technical standard Not manipulated. Published in a mass media with high credibility. Has an explanatory caption And used in a trustworthy context.

And is not credible when

Is an advertisement. Is arranged. Has a sender with low or inconclusive credibility. The receiver may have difficulty understanding and interpret the content. The image has an artificially motif. Has been manipulated. Low technical quality (can differ though.) Exaggerated or distorted perspective. Used in a non-fitting context. Lack of explanatory cation. Published in a frivolous/dubious media.

So many choices, so little time

10 9 8

11

12

1
2

incident 4 7

available views: 6, 8, 9 chosen views: 6, 9 editing publishing reader 1

available views: 1, 3, 5 chosen views: 1, 3 editing publishing reader 2 What about those pictures never published?

In the news

Cropping the news

Altering pictures may altering memories

Making news in 2011

Advertisement/magazines
Visuals speaks to our feelings in an instant way. Pictures in ads speaks mainly not to our reasons. All pictures in ads/magazines are digital manipulations. Purpose to create a desire that only can be satisfied by our own consumption.

In magazines

1994

In magazines again

2003

Remember what I told you about construction of beauty?

Silly fashion industry

The photoshop effect

And when it comes to information

Several purposes with pictures: 1. Create and sustain attention 2. Facilitate learning 3. Explain 4. Illustrate 5. Information 6. Summarize 7. Clarify 8. Communicate

good manner in information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Pictures should not just be beautiful Covey the same meaning as the text Use pictures when: When the message is complex When it is important to be able to refer to. When the message is widespread. When the environment is noisy. When the structure is complicated. When it is important to specify exactly how different things are related to eachother. 7. When it i simportant to present several things at once.

Different types of pictures

Information
Schematic Realistic Suggestive

Walking on thin ice

And the limits are?

Famous/infamous ads for H&M with deceased Anna Nicole Smith

NOT GUILTY!

Women love you to look down on them

GUILTY!

Hello Kitty favorite of all girls

Batman best plaster of the year for boys

Fred Perrot

Fred Perrot

Christophe Gilbert

Christophe Gilbert

links
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsiQptl_Y9E &NR=1&feature=fvwp http://imtuoradea.ro/auo.fmte/files2006/MIE_files/Simona%20Sofia%20Duicu%202. pdf http://wiki.mediaculture.org.au/index.php/Digital_Image_Manipul ation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knEIM16NuP g&feature=related