Thursday, April 28, 2016

Final project: photo story for Love The Oceans



How many people do you think were killed by sharks last year? You might be surprised to realize that only 6 people were killed in 2015, yet sharks are portrayed as vicious, man-eating creatures of the sea. 
Kyra Kalageorgi is an artist who's using her creativity and artwork to promote a positive message of sharks by working with the organization Love The Oceans. 
Every year, over 100 million sharks are killed by commercial fisheries. They kill them for their fins, meat, liver oil, cartilage, and other parts of the shark, which is driving some of the shark populations towards extinction.
Sharks grow slowly and reproduce only a few times over their lifetimes. This makes them very vulnerable and slow to recover from depletion. Their depletion poses a serious risk for the entire ocean ecosystem. The sharks control their prey's population, and entire habitats can be lost without them. 
Love The Oceans goal is to protect endangered species, establish a protected area in Mozambique, and work towards sustainable fishing. They hope that through research, teaching locals, and diving they can help us move towards a more sustainable future for sharks and the entire ecosystem. 
Below is a video featuring an interview with Kyra Kalageorgi and showcasing her artwork highlighting sharks along with her current projects.

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Photo manipulation and the ethical dilemma

Here's An Idea: Stop Faking Photos

       Manipulating an image as been around almost since the start of photography, but it has changed dramatically during the digital age. The advancements in technology of both gear and computer software has made it easier to manipulate a digital image. In fact, it seems like digital photo manipulation has become so common that it's hard to detect if a photo is original or if its been doctored. The issue of ethics comes into play in regards to photojournalism and the media maintaining some form of photographic integrity.
        Photojournalists see good journalism as a form of democracy that's always on the front lines. It can only be considered good photojournalism if the photo is not staged and it captures the image in its true form. 
       Some simple rules of photojournalism and ethics:
  • Don't change things
  • Don't direct your photograph subjects or objects
  • Don't lie in your captions in any way 
  • Don't move or change the pixels
  • Get it right and don't fake anything
      Posing a photograph was common during the beginning of photography and photojournalism. Photographs required people to stand still for long periods of time in order to avoid blurring the picture, but technology advanced rapidly over the next few decades. As cameras became able to stop motion, it resulted in a need for a set of ethical standards. This demanded accuracy in photographs for photojournalists.
      As photographs became more truthful in what they were capturing, it became easier and easier to manipulate the image. There are more cases of manipulated, doctored, and posed photographs today than ever before in the history of photography and photojournalism. It's a serious ethical dilemma.