Ethics is something that most of us never think about when it comes to photographs, or at least I don’t. When ethics are associated with photos, it is usually having to do with photos that are controversial or those that some people may have a hard time looking at. For example, the first picture in this chapter was the photo of the falling man. Many people questioned if that photo should have been published or not. Some people thought different ethically than others when that photo was public. I believe that even if your subject is emotional or difficult to photograph, such as the one on page 407, I still agree with what they say. It’s necessary for you to capture these moments. These photos are the ones that bring the story full circle. However, there may be a situation where you need to be more discreet, like they are talking about on page 411. There may be a tragic car accident or something to that nature. It is still our job to photograph what is happen, but I believe we should do it with respect. Don’t try to force any questions on anyone. Let the stories speak for themselves in these moments. I think that it’s important that we keep these pictures as raw as possible with no editing or retouching. That will cause the photo to be manipulated, and that would definitely cause some ethical issues. Some of these photos were hard to look at for sure, but they are the photographs that tell the most stories and interest people the most.
Law is another thing that you don’t think about in photography. The first thing that came to mind when I was reading this was how we have to have parents sign a sheet at church giving us permission to photograph their child. If they don’t want their child’s picture taken, we are not allowed to post that photo anywhere. We have some foster parents in our church, and the faces of those children cannot be posted. Some of the foster parents will post the picture with a graphic over their face, and they are protected through that aspect. Some of the places of where not to take a photo is common sense, such as jails and prisons and in the court room. All of that is private stuff, and you could be in some big trouble if you ever posted a photo from those places. I always ask myself and other people if it’s okay to post a picture that is questionable. Sometimes, it is okay, and sometimes it isn’t. I think it’s important to always make sure that you are allowed to post it.
Piedmont Photojournalists 