An interesting feature from NPPA’s News Photographer magazine details the disqualification of a Danish news photographer from his country’s top photojournalism awards for over-Photoshopping his work. You can read the Danish coverage (in English) here. 

Looking at the images, it’s hard to believe that they were made from one exposure. They resemble HDR (High Dynamic Range) art images more than journalistic reportage. That’s not saying they’re no longer contextual, perhaps they’re just more contextual to what the photographer was experiencing or feeling, rather than what he witnessed visually. Maybe he felt the need to push up the squalor with Photoshop because we have stopped responding to “realistic” documentary (blame Hollywood CGI). Or maybe it’s just his ego. 

It’s interesting that judges are asking for the RAW version of images in order to police the integrity of the images, relying on them to deliver the “truth,” much like negatives of the last century. I don’t think the judges were too harsh on disqualifying this photographer from the contest. But I wonder what guidelines Danish newspapers and news organizations set for Photoshop use in photojournalism? Here in Australia, the sky’s the limit – there is lots of debate, but there are no comprehensive ethical codes of practice specific to photojournalists at Australian newspapers.