January Photos

A volunteer rescue worker holds a family picture of a man and two boys found on the scene of a recent landslide, where seven people were found buried among debris in Nova Friburgo, Brazil on January 19, 2011. (MAURICIO LIMA/AFP/Getty Images) #

Diana: I found this photo to be particularly powerful despite the simplicity of it's subject, a crumpled up photograph in the hands of a volunteer rescue worker. The condition of the photo is symbolic to the condition of the photographed family's life: Their home, their belongings, their lives all engulfed by mud and debris. 

 Ludmila Moura, 5, sits on a mattress at a shelter for people displaced by landslides in Nova Friburgo, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011, Ludmila was pulled out of her destroyed house by her father Marcelo Moura on the first night of heavy rains last Thursday. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) #


Diana: To most viewers, the eyes of this young girl evoke a feeling of sadness and pity. However, what I find most intriguing and remarkable about this portrait is the actual arrangement of the child's face. Stop to first think about the significance of eyes on a person. The supposed "windows to the soul". These eyes are no exception. Obscure the top of the photo: You are sure that this child is smiling. Obscure the bottom and it is obvious she is in tears. It's neither. Her ambiguous expression could be interpreted as positive or negative. 
       A child smiles for a camera because they are taught it is the acceptable thing to do. This child obliges to take a photo and smiles, but she cannot manage to get her eyes to do the same. She, in her own way, encompasses the spirit of her Brazilian people, affected by a horrible disaster but trying their best to manage with their circumstances. 



"Supporters of incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo raise their hands in a show of support at a rally in the Yopougon district of Abidjan, Ivory Coast January 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)"





 Local residents look on as the body of a man killed by gunfire lies covered in a side street of the Abobo neighborhood of Abidjan, Ivory Coast January 11, 2011. Security forces loyal to Ivory Coast's incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to cede power, fired volleys of gunshots leaving at least four people dead after they cordoned off a large section of a neighborhood known to be his rival's stronghold. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)


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A boy runs from a column of riot policeman during anti-government protests in downtown Cairo January 25, 2011. Egyptian police fired tear gas at protesters gathered in the city center, and earlier used a water cannon in the same location. (REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh) #

MLK

Photo Alteration

Copy/paste each of these photos into your blog. Write a paragraph discussing: In what situations is it okay to digitally manipulate photos? In what situations is it wrong to digitally alter a photo? How can altered photos be harmful to photojournalism?


With the digital manipulation of photos becoming not only easier, but more flawless with each passing improvement in technology, the majority of the images seen by us are edited in some way. It is debatable, though, whether the editing of a photos is ethically acceptable every time the Photoshop window is opened up. It is my assertion that, especially in commercial use, photo alteration is acceptable in the instance that the procured image is obviously altered for the purpose of fantasy.
(ah I'll finish later, Ms. Wilson)