Digital image alteration, revisionist history

In the NYT: I was there. Just ask Photoshop. Williams, Alex. Aug 17, 2008.

As image-editing software grows in sophistication and ubiquity, alterations go far beyond removing red-eye and whitening teeth. They include substituting head shots to achieve the best combination of smiles, deleting problematic personalities or adding family members who were unable to attend important events, performing virtual liposuction or hair restoration, even reanimating the dead. Revisionist history, it seems, can be practiced by just about anyone.

This article could be paired with the previous post to illustrate two opposing affordances of digital tech (esp. at the consumer level). The previous post deals with challenging official narratives, where this story involves altering (photoshopping) our own histories.

[[[Could be used in 391 for Nov 19, visual culture

Here is a related story, also from NYT: Photography as a weapon. Morris, E. Aug 11, 2008.

Digital tech as challenging official narratives of public events?

Thought-provoking story from the NYT: When Official Truth Collides With Cheap Digital Technology. Dwyer, J. July 30, 2008

The availability of cheap digital technology — video cameras, digital cameras, cellphone cameras — has ended a monopoly on the history of public gatherings that was limited to the official narratives, like the sworn documents created by police officers and prosecutors. The digital age has brought in free-range history.

[[[Could possibly use this for 391 on Oct 15, new media, new journalism.