Photography Ethics
Without ethics, photography can hinder more than it helps. As I’ve mentioned before, it is not how you shoot but why you shoot in the first place. Reframing your thinking always to consider your intention, and assess the potential damage your photo (or the act of taking it) can cause before you get out there is the most essential part of ethical photography.
The first thing to consider is why you shoot. So, why do you? Whatever your reasoning, good ethics require a plan to either tell a story objectively or to help the subject, not to harm it. With humans, this might mean not releasing a photo of them taken “in a bad light.” For animals and plants, this could mean the same, and also considering your environmental impact while taking the photo. It is not worth a shot of an eagle chick in a nest if you scare off the adult and kill the babies. Nor is it ethical to take a gorgeous landscape but crush endangered flowers while doing so. Watch your step, and if something feels wrong, it probably is.
Another aspect of ethical photography has to do with other photographers. Like in poetry, it can be considered a privilege to recreate someone else’s photo, as long as you give credit and acknowledge the photographer whose style you are portraying. It is also important to be aware of other photographers that are present during a shoot. Am I standing in their way? Are they intentionally incorporating me in their shot? Am I scaring off the animal they are trying to shoot as well? Considering others is another large part of ethical photography, and asking these questions is something I do every time I see someone else holding a camera.
As a general rule, I consider the ethics of a photo before I frame it in my mind. When I come up on a scene, or take a step to reframe, my first thought is always my physical and potential impact. And I never share a photo taken with poor ethics, intentionally or accidentally. I do this to train myself to always put the well-being of my subject before my shot.
We as artists and adventurers hold much power, why use it to leave footprints, when we could make a positive change?
