“Without deception”
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1801. What’s the point of P8?
In light of Characteristic #8 of trusted photographs, P8 ensures that the photographer doesn’t deceive viewers about “the circumstances of the making of the photograph.”
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1802. Why does TTG say that P8 is a “loophole closer”?
Because P8 is designed to catch any potentially deceptive photographs that make it all the way through the Trust Test up to P8.
It can be a fun challenge to dream up scenarios of photos that trick the viewer while fully meeting the first seven requirements — but if that “trick photo” doesn’t meet rinairs for non-deception, then it can’t meet P8 and can’t qualify as TTG. (Perhaps P8 should be called the “dream crusher.”)
In other words, any photos that make it past P1 through P7 but could potentially “trick the viewer” have to be explained or they are disqualified by P8.
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1803. How does P8 prevent deception more than P1–P7 already prevent it?
The key is that P8 says “through the photograph and its presentation.”
That gives TTG photographers more than just the image area itself when communicating with viewers.
The word “presentation” clears the way for photographers to attach to the photograph an “alert” to viewers regarding potentially deceptive aspects of the photograph.
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1804. So to meet P8 the photographer has to say more about the photograph than “TTG”?
Most of the time for most photographers, No.
But sometimes (and for some kinds of photography, “much of the time”), Yes: a TTG photographer has to add an “IC” alert — “TTG/IC” — to signal to viewers that there are “inapparent circumstances” that could be deceptive if the viewer isn’t aware of them.
With many common subjects, an “IC” alert may never be deemed necessary — for example, street photography that involves no interaction with the subject and doesn’t involve potentially deceptive circumstances.
With some other subjects, however, an “IC” alert may be routinely necessary — for example, when animals of typically wild species are photographed in less-than-fully-wild conditions but those conditions are not visible to the viewer.
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1805. When is an “IC” alert needed?
If a respected international news agency would alert viewers to “inapparent circumstances” when publishing the photo in an information-reportage context, then the photographer using the TTG label must add an “IC” to it (“TTG/IC”) or the photo cannot meet P8.
But if such an agency would not attach an alert to that photo in an information-reportage context, then the TTG photographer need not add an “IC” either.
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1806. What are the mechanics of adding an “IC”?
The only hard and fast expectation is that any “IC” will always be in the same font, color, size, and location as the “TTG,” as in “TTG/IC”—
— so that no viewers see the “TTG” without also seeing the “IC.”
(It would be deceptive for the photographer to hide, bury, or minimize an alert that is meant to prevent deception.)
A full explanation of “IC alerts”
Beyond the “IC,” TTG photographers can say anything and everything they think will increase viewers’ trust.
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1807. Is it fair to say that any photograph, of any subject, can be explained well enough to meet P8 if it meets P1 through P7?
Yes, assuming the photo isn’t TTG-ineligible from the start, that is fair to say of any three-dimensional subject (see the last paragraph of P8 for the two-dimensional exception, a subject addressed in #1809 below).
Other than that one exception, no photograph is ever disqualified from TTG because of what was done to the subject. (See #703)
But the key to meeting P8 (and keeping the photo eligible to qualify as TTG) is that the viewer has to somehow be made aware of any potentially deceptive aspects of the circumstances of the photo.
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1808. So the “IC” alert can be a big deal?
Yes, it can be a very big deal.
The presence or absence of an “IC” is often the difference between a photograph qualifying or not qualifying for the TTG label.
A TTG-labeled photo that does not have an “IC” when an “IC” is warranted (and thus fails to meet P8) is just as problematic for viewers as is a photo that fails to meet any of the other eight requirements of the Trust Test.
That’s why not including an “IC” alert when one is warranted can permanently damage a TTG photographer’s reputation; see #2 on this page.
A full explanation of “IC alerts”
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1809. What does the last paragraph of P8 mean?
It means what it says: if “a non-TTG-qualified image that looks like* a photograph” is a primary subject of a photograph, then that photograph cannot meet P8 and cannot qualify for the TTG label.
*FAQ #114 lists the three largest categories of electronically generated images that “look like undoctored photographs but are not,” but with respect to P8 a photorealistic artwork and a screenshot of a non-TTG video would also be prohibited.
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However, if “a non-TTG-qualified image that looks like a TTG-qualified image” is in the frame but is not “a primary subject”...
. . . and if there is no chance that viewers will think the non-TTG-qualified image is being guaranteed TTG...
. . . then the photograph remains eligible to qualify as TTG.
The numbering of the FAQ questions will not change — any new questions are added at the bottom and given new numbers — so users can safely make a link to any specific question.