'Glee' Star -- Bruising Photo to Help Domestic Violence Victims

It seems ironic ... but the brutal photo of "Glee" star Heather Morris sporting a fake black eye will be auctioned off soon ... and all of the proceeds will go towards a domestic violence charity ... TMZ has learned.

The photo ignited a major controversy when it was released on the Internet a few days ago -- with some critics saying it glamorizes violence against women.

But Tyler Shields, the photog behind the shot, tells us that was NOT the intention -- and he's sorry it came off that way.

Shields says ... to make up for the controversy, he'll be auctioning off the photo, starting at $100k, and will donate every single cent he makes to a top domestic violence charity.