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An open letter to the NPPA on ethics

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To my fellow photographers & photojournalists, and members & leadership of NPPA:

I have been a photographer since JFK was President, and a member of NPPA for 52 years. I have never been, nor thought of myself, as a “Lens-based worker.” I find no shame in calling myself, and those in related vocations, photographer or photojournalist. Let’s leave it at that.

These days, that might disqualify me in some eyes for what I am about to say, but in spite of a current fad to dismiss anything aged or graying (or older than 32), I feel compelled to speak about the current state of affairs in photography in general, and at NPPA in particular, especially given the credit NPPA is taking for participation in the Photo Bill of Rights (BoR). (I was a college student when the operative phrase was “Don’t trust anyone over 30.” I get it.).

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Guidelines for ethical photography and storytelling in the post-George Floyd era

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The death of George Floyd this May sparked protests across the USA and even internationally. These events make us reevaluate many things, including the ethics of storytelling and photography. In this week’s episode of Impact Everywhere’s podcast, Benjamin Von Wong spoke to Danielle Da Silva. She is an award-winning photographer, and a founder and CEO of Photographers Without Borders (PWB). Danielle spoke with Ben about her own experience with discrimination, and elaborated on PWB’s guidelines for ethical photography. If you’re a photojournalist, this is something you must listen. But honestly, I recommend it to everyone.

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This video answers the most common questions on law and ethics of street photography

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Ethics and law in street photography is something that can create a lot of confusion and debate in the community. No matter how well you know the law, you’ll often come upon situations that will be new to you. Also, not everything is black and white in street photography: sometimes even lawful things can still be unethical. To help you answer the most common questions on the law and ethics in street photography, Sean Tucker has filmed yet another fantastic video. He interviewed Nick Dunmur, a member of the legal team at the Association of Photographers (AOP), who will help you deal with anything that might be baffling you.

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Are you an ethical photographer?

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A group of boys in Baraboo, WI assembled for a junior prom photo and posed with a Nazi salute. One of the boys posted the image to Twitter with the caption “We even got the black kid to throw it up.” In the midst of public outrage, it was revealed that a professional photographer not only took the image, but directed them to “wave goodbye.”

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To stage or not to stage in travel photography

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With the recent polemics surrounding a certain image that won a photography competition this week, I feel like we need to talk about travel photography. About people photography, in our case. And to set up boundaries as to what’s acceptable in both cases. Honestly, in my opinion, it’s a matter of common sense – but it seems that’s not enough. We still witness some shocking scenes in the world of travel photography these days.

Let me be clear: My goal isn’t to attack or criticise any specific, or specific group, of photographers. I don’t know these people. I’ve never met them. But the whole circus that events such as these have created is, in my book, very disturbing, which is why I feel it’s important to discuss the topic in general.

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Why you shouldn’t do street photography: the problem of ethics and representation

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Street photography is important, versatile, and in my opinion – one of the most challenging genres there is. But there are some problems with street photography that largely revolve around ethics. In his latest video, Jamie Windsor talks about these problems and discusses the situations when it’s best not to pick up your camera.

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French art school gives students blackface to “diversify” brochures

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When the Lyon-based Émile Cohl art school wanted to advertise in the U.S., they published a group photo of their students on the American version of the website. But it all got terribly wrong when they were busted for photoshopping the students’ skin to make it appear darker. Apparently, it was an attempt to “add diversity” to the image, and the school got under fire when a former student tweeted the two versions of the image.

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The ethics of photography: when should you put the camera down?

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The ethics of photography is certainly a topic worth discussing. Are there times when we should just put our cameras down for the sake of being ethical? Or is it photographers’ job to document human suffering, pain, and accidents? This is the topic that Sean McCrossan, of When Will I Learn?, discusses in this video. So, when is it time to put your camera down?

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Slum pictures – let’s talk about ethics

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A walk on the trash mountains

My eyes are filled with tears, because of the smoke. The plastic-particles in the air are itching in my lungs. I am climbing this mountain with my two friends. The ground under my shoes feels funny. It softly cushions my steps, like fresh and loose soil, but I also tangle my feet every now and then. It is an awkward mass, this mountain of pressed trash. It consists of very different material and yet is an entity. A mountain of poison. Not only for the body, but also for the soul. And everywhere pigs! I think I have never seen so many pigs walking freely in the wild. Is that appropriate husbandry? I somehow start to understand, why some religions do resist to eat pork. If, by eating pigs, I eat what pigs ate, then abandoning might be a better choice.

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The Importance of Ethical Landscape Photography

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I’ve wondered for a long time what it means to be an ethical landscape photographer. Sure, this field isn’t known for its wide-reaching moral dilemmas or particularly sticky situations, but the question still deserves attention. As landscape photographers, we are in a rare position to show the Earth’s most amazing places to an audience of countless people. It makes sense to me that we should do so with respect. One of the most important rules? Don’t cause harm — not in the field, and, perhaps, not even in post-production.

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