1704. What about misrepresentation of the scene’s appearance that is caused by routine lens imperfections?

Things like lens flare, corner/edge darkening, and barrel or pincushion distortion do not disqualify a photograph from TTG — even though they aren’t visible in the actual scene being photographed — because those effects are allowed by respected news agencies.

“Respected international news agencies” use the same cameras and lenses available to everyone else.

Thus those agencies face (and allow for) the same limitations of the medium that everyone else faces — including the factors listed in the first paragraph above.

That’s why correction of “lens/camera anomalies” is one of TTG’s 10 kinds of Allowable Changes (see #4).

In most cases, lens/camera anomalies can be corrected, partially corrected, or left as is.

But — as explained here — the post-exposure simulation or exaggeration of these effects always disqualifies the resulting image from TTG.

See also the discussion on the nature of “portrayal”