Tips for Ethical Photography | Ohio University

Ethical Photography

• DOES NOT exploit or misrepresent individuals, locations, or cultures
• DOES NOT violate privateness or human rights of topics
• DOES NOT degrade, dishonor, or rob individuals of their dignity
• DOES exhibit respect and sensitivity for individuals and “otherness”
• DOES acquire the consent and enter from these being photographed
• DOES search to inform the true tales of actual individuals, locations, and tradition

Protocol

In order to pursue moral pictures, visible storytellers ought to heed the next protocols:

Before taking pictures

• Always get the topic’s consent first.
• Examine your motives for taking pictures a selected body. What are you attempting to convey? It isn’t acceptable to make use of pictures merely to harness pity.
• You mustn’t encourage topics to feign despair, anger, or different feelings or search to affect the “slant” of your pictures in any approach.
• Think about what you wish to painting in your picture. While it’s high-quality to painting the fears and struggles of your topics in some pictures, others ought to convey the group’s strengths and expectations. Never painting your topics as ineffective or insufficient.

While taking pictures

• It could also be acceptable in some cases to {photograph} topics from behind in order that solely their actions, not their faces, will be seen. For instance, chances are you’ll present the face of a health care provider performing an examination, however not the affected person’s face, each stopping the affected person from distraction and defending their privateness.
• Be humble, thoughtful, and respectful. Try to take pictures with out being intrusive.
• Do not be aloof; construct a relationship of mutual understanding together with your topics.

After taking pictures

• Do not stereotype or make false generalizations. A single {photograph} of a hungry little one isn’t consultant of a whole group. Use captions to offer context.
• Photos must be used to boost public consciousness, to not exploit public sympathy.
• Photos have to be rigorously and faithfully edited to keep away from misrepresentation. Photos shouldn’t be overly manipulated or embellished digitally.
• Ensure your pictures doc what you consider is the actual scenario of your topics.
• Photographers ought to use their expertise to affect public notion responsibly, and it’s essential for
  organizations to make use of photos that join individuals from all walks of life by means of the language of pictures.

Adapted from Michigan State University’s Service Learning Toolkit.