FoundView in Publications, Contests, and Exhibits

FoundView has obvious appeal for newspapers, magazines, journals, and books wishing to uphold the highest standards of integrity and credibility. Regardless of circulation or press run, there is no registration process and no licensing fee for using the FoundView standard and checkmark. The FoundView checkmark and the following summary statement from section C-9 usually need be reproduced only once, on the copyright page or publisher-information page:

"The presence of the FoundView checkmark on this page guarantees that every photograph in [this newspaper/magazine/journal/book] [or Name of publication] depicts the forms and shapes that the camera recorded the moment the shutter was clicked—no more, and no less. Any post-shutter manipulations were limited to tonal variations; no one involved in producing the photographs moved, added, deleted (except by cropping), or otherwise altered any forms or shapes in the photographs after the shutter was clicked."

Please see C-9 and C-10 for details, including how to handle non-FoundView photographs. Publications are also welcome to e-mail FoundView directly with questions.

FoundView encourages publications to make use of the FoundView standard not merely for staff-generated photographs but also for submissions from non-staff photographers. Publications and organizations can easily make provision for photographers who wish to use the FoundView standard and attach the FoundView checkmark to photographs submitted for publications, contests, and exhibits.

For the sake of clarity and to prevent misunderstanding, we strongly recommend that submission guidelines for publications, contests, and exhibits incorporate the following four paragraphs:

Each FoundView-checkmarked photograph submitted must both:

A. Depict all forms and shapes as recorded by the camera when the shutter was clicked, meaning that no forms or shapes in the photograph were moved, added, deleted (except by cropping), reshaped, resized, combined, or otherwise altered (except tonally) after the shutter was clicked, AND

B. Not be in any way deceptive to the typical viewer (to the best judgment of the photographer—and of the submitter, if they are two different parties). This non-deception rule includes all pre-shutter and post-shutter considerations.

No photograph is eligible for the FoundView checkmark unless both of the above requirements have been met. In attaching the FoundView checkmark to a submitted photograph, the photographer (and submitter, if they are two different parties) is/are thereby attesting to familiarity with, understanding of, and adherence to the FoundView standard (printed in its entirety at www.FoundView.org). Questions about the FoundView standard should be submitted directly to FoundView at (e-mail address), not to [Name of publication or sponsoring organization]. Note, however, that the FoundView organization plays no supervisory or adjudicatory role with respect to photographs submitted to [Name of publication or sponsoring organization].

(End of submission guidelines)