On trusted photographs
“Photographers cannot do ‘whatever they want’ to a photo and then expect viewers to trust it.”
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Seeing only “what the camera lens saw” enhances trust
If viewers know (or think they know) how the image they’re seeing was made, then...
1. Viewers are more likely to trust photographs that depict only what the camera lens saw at the moment the picture was taken...
2. . . than they are to trust images that depict anything that the camera did not see at the moment the picture was taken.
Since TTG is all about “trust,” TTG celebrates the #1 kind of photograph, even though the #2 images dominate large parts of our culture.
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Further reading
Why do viewers trust #1 photos more than #2 photos? See #1 here
What does this mean for photographers in the real world? Read
What about exact simulations of what the camera could have seen? Read
What about showing how the scene looked just 1 minute earlier? Read
What is TTG’s definition of “trust”? Read
What is meant by “an undoctored record”? Read
What about photos that are not doctored but are deceptive? Read
What about photos that are not deceptive but are doctored? Read
