Assignment 2: Press photography versus art photography

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Questions:

1. The main differences and similarities between art and press photography;
2. Is it ethical and acceptable to alter art photographs? Why? Why not?
3. Is it ethical and acceptable to alter press photographs? Why? Why not?

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Answers:

To help convey the difference of art and press photography I used the following photographs which I took.

Art Photography

Why art? 

C-Wine-2: This photograph was in the design for a promotion I did for NuYu International in 2011. The theme of the promotion was dine with wine and strawberries.

Brother at Union Station: This photograph was taken at Union Station's skywalk, Toronto of my brother in 2012. My brother was the focus of the picture however at the same time I was trying to capture the perspective, celling and walls oft e building.

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Press Photography

Why press?

Toronto Summer Fun: This is a photograph of people having fun during the summer of 2010 in the streets of  Toronto. Simply the crowds enjoying themselves which could also be titled, "the people's summer in Toronto".

Toronto from the tower: This is a photograph from the CNTower in which I  was trying to have a grand photograph of another view of toronto, a view from above. 

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The main similarities between art and press photography are the main qualities of photography itself, the rule of thirds; and invoking the viewer's emotion. By the use of the rule of thirds I am referring to the area of focus, that it's clear and simple/ easy to read but is also appealing and not boring. By invoking the viewer's emotion, this similarity of art and press photography is a quality that can been seen also in fine art. For example Paul Ruben's massacre of the innocents. Depicting the brutal sense of reality, death with the attempt to invoke emotion from the viewer.

I think it is ethical and acceptable to alter art photographs because it isn't confined to keeping realistic or factual imagery like "Journalistic or Press Photography". 

I think it isn't ethical and acceptable to alter press photography to a point. Very similar to photo Journalism I think to the point of altering the press photographs in order to improve the overall image quality is fine. However to alter the scene or composition itself or to create false imagery and false notes in a photo easy or documentation is where the line of ethnicity is crossed.