I spent the better part of 5am tossing around in bed, wide awake but refusing to get up. I Reached for the phone, loaded up Facebook (yes, I still play on Facebook) and started to browse around when I came across a link to an article that really caught my attention.
"Motor Oil On Your Pancakes, Shampoo In Your Cereal…" (
original article)
The article talks about a few tricks that are used by the "advertising" and "marketing types" to enhance the images, such as image manipulation and staged products (using motor oil to simulate honey or syrup and microwaved tampons to simulate the steam of hot food), but one statement really seemed to bother me:
Quote: These tricks of the trade are not harmless or just irritating, but can have serious implications to consumers. Unrealistic body images are linked to eating disorders, depression, and body shaming. Other glossy ads of grandeur can lead to overspending resulting in debt. In the least it’s dishonest, but the deceit goes beyond that in how it truly and deeply affects society and culture…all of which is will not be sparred when turning a profit is more important.
Which brings me to some questions, or pardon the pun, food for thought:
1. As photographers, professional or otherwise, what are your thoughts on common elements of photography such as product (model) staging, the use of specialty lenses and image manipulation? Aren't all images manipulated in one way or other before publishing?
2. Do you see image manipulation and "camera tricks" as deceitful when it comes to advertising? When photographing a wedding and retouching the blemishes of the bride?
3. What are some "tricks of the trade" that you have used, or have seen used, when it comes to photography; either in relation to advertising, publications, professional services, et cetera?