Ethics Vs Aesthetics

Ethics: Morals, the sense of right and wrong.
Aesthetics: Making things visually pleasing.


    Society finds it ethically unacceptable to alter photos when they are supposed to be portraying the truth.  If a newspaper publishes a photo of a fire that has been altered to look more dangerous, the newspaper is no longer presenting factual information.  It is deceiving its readers.

    In my opinion, modeling is another area where it is ethically wrong to alter photos.  Companies touch up their models to help sell their product.  This is false advertising and contributes to society's obsession over body image.  Others may say it is acceptable because it is just another part of the modeling business.

    Society finds it aesthetically acceptable to alter photos in pop culture, where we already know we're not seeing the truth.  When we see a movie, part of what makes it fun to watch is the special effects.  Some of these effects can't be attained during filming, so we alter frames in the movie to make it more aesthetically pleasing.  Think of "Avatar."  Would the movie have been half as awesome if it was filmed with actors wearing blue body paint?

    It is acceptable to correct a camera's errors, like red eyes or a smudge that was on the lens, because the photo is still true to what the subject looked like at the time of the shoot.  Also, it is acceptable to edit photos for our class blogs because we do not pretend that they are real or use them to hurt/misinform others.

    All in all, the line between aesthetically pleasing and ethically wrong can be very fine at times.  Try not to cross it.