BebuLamar

The Princess of Wales is an amateur photographer too and she uses a Canon.

CameraDad Loc: Michigan

To me, it's what AI would have generated if asked to improve the original photo. Close but with strange artifacts added like what's been identified.

Artcameraman Loc: Springfield NH

Poor Kate!

SteveFranz Loc: Durham, NC

So did I.

MrPhotog

After the photo was distributed by the wire services questions arose about its integrity. AP and Reuters then sent out messages on the same channels to not use the photo.

AviRoad Loc: Westchester County, NY

When, in the remarkably unlikely event that I become a prince, I'll start to worry.

newsguygeorge Loc: Victoria, Texas

Let’s have a little context here.

For all the British royals’ money and “power,” the royals can't seem to hire a good PR team or crisis manager. All we know so far is the surgery wasn’t for cancer (if that’s the truth). The smart money I’ve read about seems to think the surgery for endometriosis or for a GI issue like Crohn's disease. Whatever it is, neither of those or many other diagnoses are shameful and to continue the stonewalling not only stigmatizes whatever these illnesses are but also creates a huge credibility issue for the royals.

The royals have a huge PR machine, so I think those who think this was a nice family portrait for the UK’s Mother’s Day are naive. This photo is a direct consequence of the stonewalling. None of this would be an issue had Kate and William and their team had disclosed Kate’s diagnosis and the surgery.

Based on my own experience as a journalist, the above points lead me to conclude the PR operation is woefully incompetent. PR people for celebs and other newsworthy people know the standards for photojournalism. How could they, in good conscience, either let William and Kate release this photo or in their incompetence release it themselves.

If I come across as insensitive and unkind to the royals, let me make clear that on a human/humane level, I am sorry for her health problems and any pain or difficulty in her recovery. But the rest of the problems are self-inflicted. Further, if I were a member of their robust PR staff, I’d be wondering if I’d be getting any severance pay or, if so, how long could I last on it.

In short, the palace has been stupid.

As for as the ethics of the media in this fiasco, there are standards governing editing photographs. Those standards permit editing that doesn’t change the material content of the photo. The major wire services and ethical news outlets adhere to that standard. Others don’t adhere to any ethical standard. So while the upstream post on this thread quoted Thomas Jefferson as criticizing newspapers, here too context is important. For Jefferson himself joined with George Washington and John Adams in agreeing that an educated citizenry is the bulwark of democracy. I take from that we need critical thinking to properly ingest the media’s messages.

EJMcD

WOW! All this from a photo of a Mother and her children?

Cany143 Loc: SE Utah

I feel for Kate. I really do! So much so that I sent her an email that informed her that I could teach her PhotoShop, LightRoom, Affinity, PaintShop Pro, DXO and/or dozens of other image editing software packages for the low, low price of only 99.94. (I left it open as to whether that was in British pounds, US dollars, Yen, Pesos, metric tonnes [note the British spelling there!] of gold, silver, diamonds & rubies, or Rubles (&etc) because to some, one or another of those might make a difference.... overall, as everyone knows, if you have to ask the price of something, you probably can't afford it.) In that same email, I likewise mentioned that I'd be honored to take on the task of doing any photo editing tasks she might in the future require, and said I'd do it gratis, but shipping & handling costs would probably apply.)

I haven't heard back from her yet. But when I do, prepare to see me posting pix of the island I'm planning to buy.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

I'd teach Ms Kate anything, anywhere, in any context, at zero cost.

Cany143 Loc: SE Utah

That's eminently magnanimous of you, Paul. You're clearly post-Doctorially degreed from the 'you get what you pay for' School of Economics.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

I'd be a bit better at how to seamlessly edit via the digital tools of cloning and masking, but I'd submit a CV for any possible topic.

stan0301 Loc: Colorado

When I studied with Ansel Adams, Ansel said "The image captured by your camera is only the starting point for creating the image that is in your mind" - but what did Ansel know about photography? Ansel didn't really "like" black and white (but for most of his time that was all there was - and he certainly manipulated it - he tried doing with color what he did in black and white - but it just didn't work. Were he alive today he would be using Photoshop to make his images do what he wanted them to - your camera does a huge amount of post processing when it makes a jpeg - if you really want "just what the camera saw" shoot AND print RAW just as the camera saw it - what you will quickly learn is cameras and humans don't see things the same way - and, if you learn how, you can do much better than a camera - which after all is just a box with a hole in it.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Aware, yes, as newspapers carried the stories of the wedding and wedding prep, etc. on the front page. It was hard to escape.

Did I care? No.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

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