Understanding digital-altered photographs through photographers' views of reality: Matt Siber as an example

Digital-altered photographs are now popular among artists due to advancements in digital technology. Manipulating or gathering pieces of images and combining them into one in computers, artists who produce digital-altered photographs not only deliver impressive technological effects for shock value, but also, and perhaps more importantly, capitalize on the style’s ability to express their particular messages. To understand digital-altered photographs and the messages behind them, I propose that we start with investigating artists’ worldviews, or what artists value as knowledge. This inquiry can be achieved by asking about artists’ views of reality and by examining how their views of reality manifest in their digital-altered photographs. Contemporary photographer Matt Siber and his digital projects, Floating Logos and The Untitled Project, provide an example of how investigating digital photographers’ views of reality and interpreting these views through theories can help us identify and clarify the valuable knowledge provided by their work.