On Computational Photography

Computational photography transforms the act of capturing a image via curved lenses, "virtual lenses", "smart flashes", etc. It has been called "the biggest step in photography since the move away from film" and has its roots in robotics, astronomy, and animation technology.

What's so tempting about the medium is that it can allow the lighting in the room, the position of the camera, the point of focus --and even the expressions on people's faces -- to be chosen after the picture was taken. Of course, some of this can be done quite aptly with existing technology, such as Photoshop. But computational photography pushes the envelope on what photography can -- and should -- do.

Obviously, all this manipulative power raises some serious questions about authenticity. Some may argue that photographic images -- whether film-based or digital -- have always departed from reality to some degree. And others say that the goal of computational photography isn't to depart from reality, but to create a closer facsimile of it. Should computational photography be allowed when doing documentary work? Should it be admissable in court?


Source: www.sciencenews.org/articles/20070407/bob8.asp