Abstract
A photograph as an objectified framed reflection of reality is open to certain types of manipulation. - First, there is a possibility to manipulate reality, which means creating a whole scene for the photograph. - Second, there is a possibility to manipulate the picture of a photograph and a photograph itself. - Third, there is a possibility to manipulate the meaning of a photograph via "title" (a text, which defines or describes a photograph or/and also brings us its own meaning of a photograph, no matter if it's true or false). Regarding to possibilities of manipulation of a photograph, use of a photograph as an objective testimony is problematic.
I examined options of manipulation through semiotics of Peirce, mainly through the trichotomy icon, index and symbol. The scale of authenticities, used for recognition of value (true or false), shows that verification and also a validation of a photograph are impossible.
However it is getting obvious that the authenticity as a value of the truth is not important for present digital pop cultural society.