Blog Prompt #6

In most cases, I would be against the altering of portrait photographs digitally--I think that the best portraits are ones that truly capture the personality of the subject, and are able to do so without any alterations. I mean, if a portrait is altered, it's not really them, is it? From a professional standpoint, when people ask to have their portraits done, they expect to be portrayed in the best possible way. A lot of people will only pay for photos that are touched up and make them appear better than they actually look. In that case, I don't see an alternative to digitally altering photos.

And of course, in general, I think that it is perfectly fine and acceptable to alter things such as clarity, exposure, and the like, since this is essentially what every photographer from the very beginning up until now has done when developing a photo in a dark room. In cases like these, alterations can't be helped.

I feel that it is ethically wrong when photos are manipulated in a sinister way in order to embarrass people or create publicity. Take tabloids, for instance--photos of celebrities are constantly altered to produce shocking images, and I would consider this an inappropriate use for the art of photography.