A very interesting discussion ensued after tonight's talk at the gallery. It focussed on the repercussions of our ability these days to fake almost any photograph and its potential challenge to photography's credibility and integrity. This was seen as particularly important because the talk had established how important photographs have been as evidence of some the greatest atrocities and tragedies of the 20th century. Photographs bear witness, which is especially important when there are so few survivors of the concentration camps left alive to tell their stories at first hand.
To balance things out, the talk ended by focusing on the positive, creative side of experimenting with photoshop to create more abstract imagery, for example photographs that pay tribute to artists such as Rothko and Jasper Johns. The key is to be honest about one's intentions and not to disguise the trickery, whilst remaining confident that photography and design can feed off each other constructively.