This month Brazilian photographer Marcio Cabral was stripped of the much coveted Wildlife Photographer of the Year award because he had faked his winning image by placing a stuffed Ant Eater to create the scene. For most sensible people this is regarded as cheating and worthy of public condemnation . But when we look at images outside of fashion and advertising, do we really believe that everything we see was captured, at that 'decisive moment'? Many war photographers have admitted to recreating scenes they had witnessed but unable to capture or moved people and items in to more photogenic places, arguing it still represents an honest reflection of reality for the viewer. This, of course, does not begin to address the darker arts of digital manipulation through Photoshop.
For this image the chairs and patterned backdrop are all real and were at the industrial estate in Milton Keynes when I stumbled on them . They weren't, however, found in that position. Has this crossed an unspoken ethical boundary, or was what you expected? For me it's the same as creating a portrait; I'm just adding a touch 'direction' to put them in the right place.
Till next time,
Matt Peers