Finding Out Ethical Boundaries Of Photo Editing From The Viral Post Of Views Of Mount Gede Pangrango

Screenshot of the photo post of the view of Mount Gede Pangrango (Instagram @ wibisono.ari)

JAKARTA - The viral photo of the view of Mount Gede Pangrango that is clearly visible from the Kemayoran area is widely discussed by citizens. Many questioned the authenticity of the photo and thought it was an edited image.

Regarding the viral social media post, the owner of the photo, Ari Wibisono, has provided clarification. According to him, the photo was taken on Wednesday, February 17 morning from the location of the Jalan HBR Motik Bridge, Kemayoran.

The equipment used includes a mirrorless camera with a lens measuring 260mm. In his clarification post, Ari said that the photo had gone through the editing process using Adobe Lightroom.

"The point is I have no intention of cropping the photo (pasting the photo). I swear to God, this is the result of my work", he wrote.

So, is it forbidden to use editing software among photographers? VOI asked Rudolf Maurits from the StageID community. According to him, the use of the software is quite common and reasonable to use in shooting, especially landscape photos.

Instagram story screenshot

The goal is none other than to sharpen the image and saturation in the photo. It's just that Rudolf emphasized, the photo editing process is allowed to a certain extent.

"Yes, of course, editing software for landscapes is usually used to enhance imperfect photos by increasing the hance of color saturation to make it attractive, so it's not flat", said Rudolf during a conversation with VOI, Thursday, February 18.

"If it is limited to color, it is still reasonable and indeed there are many people who do it. Especially when it comes to shooting competitions", he added.

Rudolf believes that in the photography industry there are two different camps regarding the use of editing software. Regardless of the specifications of the camera or lens used in photographing an object or scene.

"There is a faction that prohibits adding or subtracting photos and one faction that believes that photos can be edited to a certain extent because in the photography industry, especially for models or magazine covers, maybe the editing process is still acceptable", he explained.

Instagram story screenshot

So you can say, the photo of the viral view of Mount Gede Pangrango from the Kemayoran area has indeed gone through the editing process. It's just that the points that need to be emphasized, a photographer should not do digital imaging.

"In my opinion, the point that needs to be emphasized when adding and reducing photo content is not photography, but digital imaging. So, you don't have to bother buying a tool, you just have to combine Hi-Res images, you can do it yourself", he concluded.