There is a well-known saying: “The camera doesn’t lie.” Where did this saying originate? Was it from the person victimized while the crime was caught on film? Or from the police officer and attorney who represented this victim? Perhaps this saying came from a betrayed spouse holding a photo of their loved one wrapped in the arms of another. This argument that the camera lies holds even more truth with the invention of digital cameras and photography manipulation software. Whether or not the camera lies, however, is really a matter of interpretation.

There’s no doubt that there are plenty of honest photographers. Many photographers take photos for the sake of capturing a beautiful or emotional moment. They wait until a head is turned at just the right angle or the light hits the subject in a dramatic way. They wish to shoot a beautiful photo that stimulates emotions. However, they may inadvertently take a biased photo that will tell a tale of untruth carried on for countless years ahead. A picture tells a story, but even the stories of well-meaning photographers are rarely the truth. The truth is that photographs are open to personal interpretation based on each viewer’s own lifetime experiences. The truth is that the evidence seems overwhelming the camera does lie, and it offers a temptation to lie, which is hard to resist, to both photographers and their subjects.

Probably the simplest way to lie with a camera is simply to wait for a situation to happen that gives a particular message. In an art photography show of the events of 9/11, one photograph was left out. This photograph showed five people sitting next to each other in Brooklyn with a smoldering Manhattan in the background. In defense of the photo subjects, one commentary explained that they happened to turn away in reaction to something that was said the moment the photo was snapped. Another option is that while this photograph didn’t “feel right”, it is possible that the subjects were so overwhelmed by the disaster that they were reacting in such a way that was misunderstood by the viewers. Nonetheless, it was the photographer’s choice to snap the photo at the moment the subjects turned away which gave the photo that particular feeling.

Manipulating the subject is another way to deceive the art viewer. Sometimes the reason behind a picture is merely to show a person’s appearance, although that photo, too, can be contrary to real life. A photograph may show a brown-eyed,

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