Sports shots typically need a ball in the picture. To the far left are two of about 50 shots I took recently at a local softball game. The first shot is sharp with good action, but no ball. The second is not a peak moment, but the ball is sharp.  Presto/chango! I took the ball out of one picture and put it near the bat on the image above. I did this in about five minutes; a little longer and it would blend even better. Ethical? No. I would not run this composite photo and call it reality. If I cannot capture an image to be proud of while I am in the field, I am surely not going to be proud of an image I have manufactured on my computer. Truth matters.

Another lesson here: By shooting 50 images at the game, I had four or five hitters with the ball close to the bat. Shoot a lot. Give yourself some choices in editing and you will not be drawn to the edge of an ethical cliff.

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Article by Bill Hankins

Bill Hankins, a freelance photographer, taught high school journalism and photojournalism for nearly 30 years. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Journalism Education Association, and in October 2008, he was inducted into the Missouri Photojournalism Hall of Fame, one of only a few educators to receive the honor.

Bill has written 29 article(s) for the Idea File.