A photograph never lies? : A study about the effects of digitalization in the truthworthiness in photographies

The concept of the photographic truth has had a special status for almost 200 years. Yet with the emerge of digital technology and especially digital photography there has been a loss of the particular connection photography has had in reference to reality. The aim of this study is to see in what ways digitalization has affected the credibility of photography from the perspective of professionals in the field of photography. The digital technology that has enabled the large-scale manipulation of photographies is not, however, the main reason for the decreased credibility of photography. The ongoing discussion about the available possibilities concerning digital imagery and manipulation has had a far more powerful effect on the concept of the photographic truth. Along with these possibilities a post-photographic photograph has seen the light of day. We discuss further some credibility problems caused by this new phenomenon; i.e. the post-photographic photographies can’t be considered to have the same status as the traditional photographies when it comes to presenting reality truthfully. We approached the subject through theory studies and methodically through personal interviews. Key words: credibility, digitalization, manipulation, remediation, reality, noeme, and the post-photographic era