Ethics of Photoshop

From [Lauren Lee]

I believe that using photoshop to enhance photos is perfectly okay, as long as the initial meaning of the photo is still present. It is obviously wrong for someone to alter actual photos to purposely cause a negative reaction, or a stronger reaction. On the other hand, why should it matter if a photographer removes an unwanted chair, or waits and goes in later with photoshop? I think that people have become oversensitive when it comes to photo editing. Nick Stubbs said in Photography Ethics and Photoshop (www.all-things-photography.com), "What about when an interior photographer like myself moves items of furniture in a house, or adds a bowl of fruit to a room to enhance the image? What about when we add make up to a model before a shoot or re-arrange a wedding dress? None of these images tell the story of a scene as it was when we arrived at it. All the alterations were made manually to make the image more pleasing". This is a completely valid statement. He also goes on to talk about painters and how they would have removed an unwanted bush, or tree branch to help with the composition. I believe that it is acceptable to use photoshop to alter photos, as long as the photographic integrity is maintained.