I agree completely with most of the facts presented in this post; photo manipulation is almost in every advertisement, newspaper, magazine, and even television. It has become such an enormous trend that some businesses heavily rely on them to generate revenues.
I strongly believe that the photo manipulation trend will not slow down (despite efforts for normalization by artists and photographers like Peter Lindbergh) since it is a key way for companies to attract and convince consumers that their product is "the best" or it "stands out".
But you have to admit, some photoshopped images are incredible. Take a look at this web page and the list of manipulated before & after photos. You'll be startled!
http://speckyboy.com/2009/02/25/28-incredible-photoshop-image-manipulation-techniques-and-tutorials/
Here's a sample from that link:
[above] she's missing her lower jaw!
Pretty funny, eh? You can also google "photo maipulation mistakes" and you'll instantly get a list of websites you can check out.
In honest conclusion, I think that the photo manipulation industry is going to stay the same for another 3 years or so (until new and more popular methods of photo advertising have been developed). People in today's society are getting so used to glamorous and luxurious materialistic things that these photos will eventually begin to not affect them, and so businesses and the ad industry will have to find a new way to attract consumers. It's all a matter of money and popularity. "Buy this product, you're cool" or "buy this product, you'll be special"; that's the message that they want you to interpret. Photo manipulation is an incredible and startling art, but in some cases it is also an evil and misleading - it's spoiling us!
In addition to your response, I believe that the media has twisted authenticity by producing unrealistic photos of celebrities. Of course it is true that Photoshop is a fascinating and useful tool, but it can be used as a tool of mass destruction. There are many talented artists, like you had mentioned, and their work can be very useful to celebrities. In Hollywood, image is everything and if you have a single flaw, it could penalize any chance of the public buying your product. In addition, many celebrities rely on Photoshop because they are insecure about their looks. Imagine, millions of people seeing your picture in a magazine. If you were to have an imperfection of some sort, people might judge you based on your appearance. Now that every photo is Photoshopped, it’s hard to feel beautiful and you are under a lot of pressure to look your best. People are constantly comparing themselves to photographs in a magazine and then they notice their own flaws. The celebrity probably doesn’t even look like that in real life; they hide behind a mask of Photoshop and makeup.
ReplyDeleteJust to add to your response, Photoshop has a negative effect on society. It creates an unrealistic image (for women especially) and lowers the self esteem of regular people. Most people don’t even know that all pictures in magazines are Photoshopped; magazines assume that you know about it.
-Caitlin Cosgrove
ASM 201/03
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