The ethics of photography.

Last week in class, we discussed the ethical questions concerned with taking a photograph of another person. Patricia Highsmith’s story “Where the Action Is” brought forth concerns of voyeurism and the significance of a photo’s negative impact on its subject, which prompted me to think of how I go about taking photos of strangers. I can’t say that I have a consistent rule when it comes to taking pictures of other people, because it depends on the circumstances. I often photograph both friends and strangers without asking for permission, but if I’m too obvious to catch someone candidly, I have to decide whether to ask permission or attempt to camouflage myself, which I’ll admit can seem rather creepy at times — I’ll go so far as to pretend I’m taking a photo of a friend while really focusing in on a stranger in order to get the picture I want.

I took this particular photo yesterday when my friend and I went to the zoo as part of a Rutgers trip. I knew the woman organizing the trip and so I felt pretty comfortable taking a picture of her nephew while he fed the animals, but when photographing other children I saw, I felt I had to slip into sleuth-like mentality and hide my camera. It’s generally more a matter of taking a photo without attracting critical glances in my direction than determining whether or not I have the right to photograph someone. I think this is where context comes in, because I don’t feel as though my personal photos — whether I post them here or not — will really negatively impact anyone’s life. If they were to run in a highly distributed newspaper with a revealing story attached to them, that might have a completely different impact, but I don’t think it’s completely unethical for me to take an innocent photo of a child at a zoo. In the Highsmith story, I don’t necessarily think it was unethical for the photographer to capture Lizzie crying, either. It was more so the the context in which that image was distributed and the photographer’s later exploitation of her that I found unethical — and that second set of photos, unlike the first, were taken after he spoke with her and sought her permission. That’s why I don’t feel I can have a set rule when it comes to asking permission — it may be arbitrary, but I think it all comes down to exercising good personal judgment both when it comes to taking someone’s photo and displaying it afterward.

Unlike the first photo, this one was taken with permission. I asked to shoot Danielle’s portrait last time it snowed because I loved the contrast of the white flakes all over her rainbow hair. Had she been speaking to someone else at the time, I might’ve gone for a more candid shot, but I felt the need to ask permission before shooting this portrait because we were speaking face-to-face, and it would’ve been awkward for me to aim a camera at her mid-conversation. Again, I think this is where context comes in. I didn’t ask her because she is a friend rather than a stranger, but because I felt it was necessary in that given moment. I would’ve done the same had I bumped into a stranger on the street and began talking to them. Overall, I don’t think there are any set rules when it comes to what we do or do not have the right to photograph. Since circumstances can be so individual, nothing can replace a person’s sense of judgment and awareness when using their camera.

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