#4 in a series of background briefs

Putting TTG to use

How different constituencies can use this website — and the Trust Test — in various contexts (often without even mentioning TTG).

  • 1. Newspapers and other image providers that work mostly with photographers with whom they already have a trust relationship

    TTG calls #1 (above) “contract image providers”

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    {"All of the photographs in this section are guaranteed to be TTG-qualified by their respective creators."}

    Image providers can use TTG in whatever way works best for their particular needs.

    A. Image providers can make use of TTG at various levels of engagement

    B. It is easy to use one mention of TTG to cover many photographs that are TTG-qualified

    C. With almost all image providers, TTG will apply to only some photos, not all of them, and image providers can “wall off” TTG-suited sections any way they choose.

    • Recommended reading for news providers

  • 2. Image providers that work mostly with photographers with whom they do not have a prior trust relationship

    TTG calls #2 (above) “non-contract image providers”

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    • It is easy for non-contract image providers to declare openness to publishing TTG-labeled photographs without committing to any frequency of doing so

    • Image providers can make use of TTG at various levels of engagement

    • TTG isn’t just for “news” photos, and websites that specialize in other subjects are just as welcome to use TTG as are news providers.

    In many of the “non-news” categories listed in FAQ #106, there are significant numbers of photographers who strive to create photographs that are both impressive and undoctored.

  • 3. Photographers who make undoctored photographs

    There’s no need to wait for image-providing organizations to declare that they are TTG-ready providers.

    Any photographers who are aware of the power of undoctored photographs can attach the TTG label to their own photographs whenever they put their images before the public, whether on their own monosite or when submitting photos for publication by others.

    Some recommended reading for photographers:

    • The Summary is a good introduction to this site

    • Briefs #23–27 discuss keys to earning viewers’ trust

    • “Questions Photographers Ask”

    • On the Big Choice every serious photographer faces

    • On the role of “light” when making trustworthy photos

    • Why use TTG with “non-news” photographs?

    • An important distinction many photographers don’t know about

    • {On “seen vs. simulated”}

    • “Why are my favorite manipulations disqualified by TTG?”

    • On submitting labeled photos to a TTG-ready provider

    • On the changing meaning of “the decisive moment”

  • 4. Organizers of photo contests

    Many photo contests in the digital era have chosen winners based almost solely on “appearance,” with little regard for “trustworthiness” (before the digital era that was not a choice that usually had to be made).

    But that balance could change fairly quickly as AIFI makes inroads into photography, because many contestants will not want their submitted photographs to compete against plaifis and aigmented photos.

    Accordingly, TTG could be a natural component in some — not all — categories of photo contests, although contest sponsors would have to take seriously the implications to their credibility when winning photos do not appear to qualify as TTG.

    Photo contests can make use of TTG at any of the three levels of engagement described in this brief.

  • 5. Online photo commentators

    People who are adept at scrutinizing and commentating on photos online can play an integral role in educating the public about TTG (while getting volumes of discussion fodder from the 400-plus pages of this website).

    Many of the highly publicized “Photoshop controversies” of the past three decades were brought to the public’s attention by independent commentators who noticed something fishy about a photo and went public with it.

    Online photo commentators (“OPCs”) can interact with the the public about the 21st-century role and meaning of photographs by discussing the principles being elevated on this website.

    Numerous subjects like “what the camera lens saw,” or the “before-after” distinction, or the 9 characteristics of trusted photographs, or the human effects of digital photography, or the way that the behavior of “light” can be used to draw the line on photo manipulation — knowing about these principles in even oblique ways can permanently change public perspectives on impressive photographs.

  • 6. Documentary or photojournalism study programs

    Educators can use the material on this website when teaching journalistic and documentary photography.

    That material could include not just analyzing the 9 characteristics of trusted photographs (which are further discussed in FAQs #11–19) but also subjects such as the changing “meaning” of photographs in the 21st century (discussed in FAQ questions #314–317); TTG’s application of the behavior of light to draw the line on manipulation; the nature of “trust,” the “trust chain,” and the “trust exchange”; the role of photographic literacy in photographers’ assumptions regarding their audience; the changing meaning of “the decisive moment”; the implications of using words like real, realistic, and reality; the distinctions between terms like “unaltered,” “unchanged,” and “unmanipulated”; and the many small decisions summed up in the “photographer’s choice” discussed in this brief.

  • 7. Online photo discussion forums

    Websites that host photography forums are welcome to set up TTG-oriented areas where photographers can ask each other questions, compare notes, discuss specific images, and post TTG-labeled photographs.

    There is no published-comment section on this website, nor are there any online discussion forums that are hosted, sponsored, or endorsed by TTG.

    Readers who have corrections, comments, and suggestions that would improve this website will please use the Contact page, which is linked at the bottom of every page on this website.

  • 8. Anyone rolling out a website or app (on any subject) who wants to emphasize credibility

    Providers that aim to maximize their credibility can choose to adopt the attributes of trusted websites.

  • 9. Those overseeing an architecture or design competition

    Architecture and design-award competitions can require that all submitted photos of finished projects fully meet the Trust Test so that the judges don’t see doctored or aigmented photos.

    More

  • 10. Those involved in smartphone/app development

    {From FAQ 9: It is not implausible to envision a time in the future when reviewers will compare smartphone cameras not merely on how readily they can make impressive-looking photos, but also on how readily they can make verifiably trustworthy photos. If our culture increasingly focuses on photographs' trustworthiness and not just photos' appearance, there could be a growing call for verification options.}

    In the coming era of aigmented photos and plaifis, there will be more and more situations when smartphone users will be concerned with the trustworthiness of their photos (not just the appearance).

    Citizens’ smartphone photos are already being used for spot-news reporting on a regular basis.

    In light of these developments, manufacturers and programmers might want to make it easier for smartphone photographers to save originals that are as unaltered as possible.

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    In the longer term, there may be more and more attention given to creating and interpreting Verifiably Unaltered Originals.

    Both those who create VUOs/CUOs and those who publish the resulting photographs will benefit from a consistent reference point when checking for differences between the CUO vs. the final photograph (see FAQs #906–907 for why this is useful).

    Because it reflects a worldwide consensus about what changes can be made to a photograph without it being considered doctored or aigmented, TTG’s Allowable Changes list can serve as a reference standard for VUO/CUO usage.