TTG Plus > FAQs > More on FAQ #217

  • 1. Why would photographers hold “non-news” photographs to reportage-based standards like the Trust Test?

    Because viewers do. Viewers don’t magically suspend their curiosity about a photograph just because it isn’t in a “news” setting.

    Some photographers say that viewers “shouldn’t care” about manipulation if it’s not a news photo — but the reality is that viewers are always going to be curious about any impressive image that looks like an undoctored photo.

    And why should viewers suspend their curiosity? “News” photographs aren’t the only photographs that mean something different when they are TTG than when they’re not.

  • 2. Viewers’ questions tell the story

    Viewers take it for granted that “news” photos that are found in contexts that the viewer trusts will meet reportage-based standards. It’s often “non-news” photos that provoke viewers to ask about manipulation.

    The frequency of questions like “Is this a real photograph?” in response to “non-news” images indicates that viewers are plenty curious about ANY image that looks both (a) impressive and (b) undoctored—

    —even, or especially, when the subject is not “news.”

  • 3. It’s not just viewers

    It’s not just viewers who have reason to apply “reportage” standards to “non-news” photographs.

    There are plenty of photographers who when they “tell” viewers something with a photograph want to be “believed.”

    For reasons explained here, plenty of photographers want to depict in undoctored photographs not just “news” events but also natural events, human events, weather events, sports events, celestial events, and life events.

    In contrast to the uncertainty of just a few years ago (see #2 here), photographers can now use the TTG label earn viewers’ trust.