I have argued before that using Photoshop isn't necessarily cheating. Photographers have edited pictures in darkrooms since the late 19th century, typically to adjust the amount of light in a specific area of a picture or to increase the contrast between the lightest and darkest parts of the image. There is nothing wrong with that and to do it well requires considerable skill in itself.

Then along came Photoshop (and other digital editing programs). Now, as if by magic, colours can change entirely, people can appear or disappear at will using software that many people have pre-installed on their computer when they buy it. This feels less like editing and more like cheating, a slight of hand that is even more upsetting because photography is so often associated with truth-telling. The camera never lies and all that.

So when a photojournalist gets disqualified for "excessive use of Photoshop" it is tempting to feel a smug sense of satisfaction. Well it serves h...(more)