AV News 187 - February 2012
Flat Copy
Stuart Clark
The RPS and PAGB assessors and judges comprise very accomplished
photographers whose knowledge and skills go beyond taking photographs. For
some time they have been engaged in discussions on the use of third party
images, usually attributable to illustrations produced by others, whether
copyright or not.
Over the years quite significant productions have included such work but
there is a feeling that when so done, it raises the question of whether this
element should be taken into greater consideration when presented for
adjudication. Mostly, AV workers are members of photographic societies and
clubs, but not all are readers of AV News or even attend AV days, and so may
be unfamiliar with the contention related to the predominant use of such
illustrations. Digital access newcomer authors advanced from flowers and
music to the extravagances of sourcing these contentious materials for
documentary productions. However, they will be sensitive to the atmosphere
in their clubs of winning entries of stained glass windows being more ascribed
to the skills of craftsman than the photographer. In record photography
artefacts require much skill, not always evident in the quality and direction of
lighting of such subjects, whereas illustrations are merely ‘flat copy’, a term
applied to evaluating commercial assignments requiring little input.
Now that most are familiar with the complexities of software manipulation,
much more is expected of print and projected image workers to emulate the
skills in final images of darkroom workers from yesteryear and now extended
with the greater use of filters in front of the lens. Suzanne Walker says of her
award winning production 'Inspired By The Landscape' few images were
straight out of the camera. Only the means to the end is new.
The picture of Saltwick Bay on the next page (original below) by David Brain
of Normanton Camera Club
took most of an afternoon
working in Photoshop. The
'Plug in' 'ONONE Phototools
2.6' costing about £60 will do
it a little more easily, as will
'Topaz', but 'NIK HDR Pro'
will do it with just three clicks
- the cost about £100. At the
end of it all though the
success of any manipulation
depends on the ability to
visualise the end result.
The application of such skills is now expected in the new standards and
criteria. Where a production cannot be made without the use of some originals
full accreditation is now required, but there seems to be a growing lobby for our
adjudicators to be required to discount what may otherwise be a compelling
sequence.
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