FIONA KOTUR MARIN

As a society,

we are moving further and further away from reality and images of realism. Even in something such as nature photography, images are often altered to make them appear more dynamic. The notion of portraiture as we once knew it has ceased to exist. Photoshop exists at every level and is easily accessible. As digital alteration becomes an integral part of photography, artists, brands and editors should be responsible for telling their viewers how images have been changed. In advertising, it’s expected in today’s world that product imagery is enhanced and manipulated, but I think this is morally questionable. A labelled image would give a consumer an educated view when assessing the product, like a content label on a sweater. It might be advertised as being a cotton sweater, but the label might reveal it contains an acrylic blend—a fact the consumer should be made aware of. Finally, Photoshopping significantly misleads us when it comes to representations of “attainable” beauty. Perhaps if photographs of models were marked, we would all be a lot more forgiving about ourselves.

KOTUR MARIN CO-FOUNDED THE TORY BURCH BRAND BEFORE ESTABLISHING HER OWN HANDBAG LABEL, KOTUR, IN 2005