TrustImage

I use this logo to indicate an image that meets the TrustImage guarantee - which means that I took it, and have been in control of all processes until it gets placed on the webserver, and I say it meets these criteria. You can read more about TrustImage at www.trustimage.org 

TrustImage guarantee

Qualification #1

The photograph was made from a single uninterrupted exposure

Qualification #2

The depiction of everything pictured within the photograph was left exactly as recorded (except for the effects of cropping, sharpening, and newspaper-acceptable changes to tones and colors).

Qualification #3

The photograph and its presentation meet contemporary American newspaper reportage standards for non-misrepresentation (of both the circumstances and the appearance of the original scene — including indisputable tones and colors).

 I have never worked in the American press and don't read it every day so I have no frame of reference to say whether I have met this standard in Q3 or not. So I have to rely on their clarification of Qualification #3 for this, which is the only enlargement of scope to Q1 and Q2 I require:

words printed on TrustImage-qualified photographs (e.g., a magazine cover)

Can meet all three qualifications and can qualify as TrustImage, but ONLY IF it is instantly clear to viewers that any superimposed words, numbers, logos, or graphics are not part of what is depicted in the photograph.

If the words, numbers, logos, or graphics are not instantly and clearly distinguishable as NOT being part of the scene depicted in the photograph, the photograph cannot qualify as TrustImage.

To make it exactly clear, I only claim TrustImage standards where I state it specifically applies to a particular photograph. I certainly don't claim it for all pictures on this site. That's not to say everywhere else I add stones all over the place, and  erase people, power lines, telegraph poles and dustbins with wanton abandon. Since I only came across the idea in 2006 I can only guarantee it for images taken after December 2005 - obviously only if they meet the criteria in the quote above. I simply can't remember all the processing steps I used for all the previous images on the site with any accuracy. This is a direction I want to go in, but it's not one I'm going to sweat by revisiting all my pre-2006 images!

The obvious question is why don't I use TrustImage's logo and the answer to that is that they don't have one as far as I can see! Why that is so  I can't understand - TrustImage is about photography, photography is about images. The logo is easier for you, the reader to identify, and less obtrusive than labouring the point 'this image conforms to TrustImage standards' all the time. Since this is my website then what I mean by a logo is exactly what I want it to mean. For  

the meaning is described here.

The story behind this story

read more of the philosophy. Most people would sensibly file that under 'far too much information' about something that doesn't really matter much in the grand scheme of things.