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Each year since 2020, the Photography Ethics Centre has interviewed 12 photographers, asking them: “What does photography ethics mean to you?” After four years and 48 interviews, we have distilled eight key lessons that we have learned about what it means to be an ethical photographer. These lessons - ranging from the language we use to the intentions we have - can help photographers, filmmakers, and visual storytellers to reflect on their process, develop their practice, and help to build a more equitable industry.
This resource was developed through a thematic analysis of 48 episodes of The Photo Ethics Podcast, Seasons 1-4. This research was led by Dr Savannah Dodd, founder and director of the Photography Ethics Centre, during her Practitioner’s Appointment within the Centre for Creative Ethnography at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) in 2024. It was supported by the Photography Ethics Centre’s advisory team and by Luke Strong. It was funded by the QUB Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Impact Acceleration Account (IAA).
Thank you to all of the photographers who have contributed to this research by sharing their experiences through The Photo Ethics Podcast. Special thanks to Anthony Luvera, Justin Carey, Rehab Eldalil, and Mallika Vora who also contributed photographs to illustrate this report.
You can download a PDF version of this report in six different languages at https://www.photoethics.org/articles
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In this episode, we talk with Melanie King about leaning into collaboration. She talks about her transition from research-informed practice to practice-informed research. She also explores the collaborative nature of sustainable photography and how she has built her own network within the community of researchers and practitioners. Throughout, she comments on her journey of becoming a sustainable photographer, gaining greater confidence in these methods.
What does photography ethics mean to Melanie?
“The first word that jumped into my mind was care. So, I think it makes me think does my artwork, does my photography, cause harm to anyone? Does it cause harm to the environment? Is there a way that my practice or my work can contribute to the care of others, to the care of the environment? … Just to make sure that the work that we’re doing does not cause harm in any way.” (29:48)
Links:
London Alternative Photography Collective
Sustainable Darkroom
The Photo Ethics Podcast interview with Hannah Fletcher
The Photo Ethics Podcast interview with Nilupa Yasmin
Andy Goldsworthy
David Nash
Brian Cox
Royal College of Art Working Class Collective
The White Pube Funding Library
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In this episode, we talk with Mohammad Alnobani on reducing bias in imagery. He discusses his experiences founding an Arab stock imagery website and how his role has allowed him to better understand photographers’ concerns. He also explores AI tools like image generation, describing how he has tried to maintain his own ethics through the use of these tools.
What does photography ethics mean to Mohammad?
“I would answer with two angles towards this. Basically the ownership of the image, unfortunately, not only in our region, but I found out that in many, many regions, ownership of images is taken very lightly. Like, oh if I take this photo out of Google and use it as a social media post on my personal page, it doesn’t harm anybody because I’m not really benefitting out of it. But, no, you are, and you did take something away from somebody who owns this photo at a certain point. And, on the other end, I would say with the photographer’s point of view, when you take a photo, what’s ethical, what’s not when you take a photo of a model and you upload it somewhere. Just make sure that you treat it rightly, and this is what we’ve been pushing our photographers to do. In certain situations it’s quite impossible to carry your model release around and ask people to sign it and explain why they’re signing it, but at least record a view with that person–just have some sort of content that verifies that person was okay with you taking their photo. So, this is a very broad topic, but it has a lot of angles and now with AI, there’s way more details to get into.” (40:35)
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In this episode, we talk with Daniel Etter about truth and fiction. He discusses the differences between observation in photojournalism as opposed to the element of creation present in filmmaking. He discusses the rise of AI image-making and the associated risks. Finally, he describes how problems within photography are often representative of systemic problems requiring societal change on a wider level.
What does photography ethics mean to Daniel?
“Just being respectful and meeting people at eye level and being open to their experience and being open to their grief, and seeing what causes less or more harm to them. So, it’s just like respecting people. It’s like … do you want to show a dead boy and the grieving father, or not? And in some cases, if it was like somebody who’s killed in the road in an accident here, you’d probably say no because it doesn’t make any sense. But maybe the father is like ‘yeah show that because I want people to see.’ … We have to understand people and see if it’s justifiable to show certain things or not show certain things. And I think it comes down to respecting people equally.” (33:09)
Links:
Open letter to Meta about AI
Daniel Etter, “Photos don’t always tell the whole truth. Is that a bad thing?” The Washington Post
Sarah Sentilles, “When We See Photographs of Some Dead Bodies and Not Others,” The New York Times Magazine
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In this episode, we talk with Mohamed Mahdy on embedding ethics. He talks about using your own senses to discover the stories around you, rather than venturing out of your own community. He also explores his quest for authenticity in his work and how multi-modal works can help achieve such authenticity. Finally, he discusses street photography and the ethical reflections it invites.
What does photography ethics mean to Mohamed?
“Ethics is to let your ego go and then don’t separate your person from what you do. Like, if you’re really a good person, it will be reflected in your work immediately. If you are thinking about ethics and manners and values and respecting people, it will be immediately in your work. Actually, everything you do in your life, we should not separate them. And I feel like ethics, to me, is always reflecting what I’m doing, every step asking those questions each project I make... And getting back to why I’m doing it. For whom?, what is it about?. I believe we should always put them in front of our eyes everyday because we also change with time, and having a lot of exposure can change you.” (35:45)
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In this episode, we talk with Alicia Bruce on collaboration and advocacy. She explores how a collaborative approach to photography can avoid misrepresentations and can counter typical media narratives. She also discusses her involvement in campaign-based photography and the empowerment that can come as a result of telling hidden stories in an ethically-aligned way.
What does photography ethics mean to Alicia?
“Ethics, for me, it’s a reflection of personal values. And its respect, integrity, compassion, and care. Ethics are different from laws, I would say. There’s things that you can do legally, but it doesn’t mean you should do them. It’s about having good intentions and also being open to sometimes having those challenged as well because we’ve got ethics in the here and now, but we’re always growing and changing, and our ethics should as well. But, for me, it’s alaso about treating everyone the same.” (32:14)
Links:
“Goose Girl”
“American Gothic”
Sebah Chaudhry on The Photo Ethics Podcast
Franki Raffles
AOP Downloads
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In this episode, we talk with Aryan Musleh on storytelling on social media. He discusses the challenges of representing communities that are misrepresented or forgotten in the media, focusing on the political barriers that can hinder the efforts of photographers. As a curator, he explores the ethical complexity of ensuring that photographs he posts are used responsibly and represented accurately through captions.
What does photography ethics mean to Aryan?
“It means a lot to me. For example, it means representing people as they want to be represented, which is very important. And I would say it’s all about ethics, and it’s the cornerstone of having a community represented through visuals. It’s very basic, but it’s a steppingstone and a cornerstone of starting to tell a great story. And it has to be there. When a story lacks any ethical constraints, it’s not complete; it’s misrepresented; it’s biased; it’s all based on assumptions and cliches.” (36:22)
Links:
Photojournalism ethics courses
Everyday Afghanistan
Statement of Ethics campaign
The Photo Ethics Podcast interview with Shaminder Dulai
Azeta Hatef on Afghan suffering in the media
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In this episode, we talk with Nicole Tung on navigating ethical dilemmas. She explores the responsibility a photographer has beyond taking a photo, discussing the investment she displays in the impact of her images. She examines the question of when to intervene as a photojournalist in a conflict zone, before talking about how the industry can better support freelancers doing this dangerous work.
What does photography ethics mean to Nicole?
“Photography ethics, for me, means, I think, the framework within which you yourself work as a photographer, how you navigate various situations and moral and ethical problems that will inevitably come up. I think that being very conscious of where you draw the line on what you’re willing to do, what you’re not willing to do if you’re confronted with a very problematic situation is something that I try to think ahead of before I work on a story, for example. And that I think comes with experience; I don’t think you can have that framework without spending the time doing this work. Certainly during my first year or two documenting conflict, I was still building that scaffolding, and it is something that you start to layer onto over the years because you encounter different things and you see different situations, and you also learn from the people around you. So it’s really about whether you can go home at the end of the day or the end of the assignment that you’re working on and feel that what you did was mostly okay.“ (35:01)
Links:
ACOS Alliance
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In this episode, we talk with Zula Rabikowska on working with communities. She talks about the care and research she invests in projects involving vulnerable communities, before exploring the additional layers of care required when photographing her own family. She examines the complexity of her own multi-national identity and how it shines through in her work. Finally, she talks about her position as an educator and how she has helped students avoid the ethical pitfalls of the industry.
What does photography ethics mean to Zula?
“So many things. I think, for me, photography ethics means an ongoing process of negotiation with yourself but also with the topic or subject that you are documenting. So being informed, whether that’s through personal experience but also through factual or emotional understanding of the topic through other people or through reading or gathering information.” (33:00)
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In this episode, we talk with Anastasia Taylor-Lind about being slow, kind, and gentle. She shares her experiences of telling delicate stories about people struggling with trauma, and she describes how she works to include their input in order to craft more authentic photographs. She goes on to talk about the differences between her roles as a photojournalist and poet, and how she decides which medium is more fitting for the stories she tells.
What does photography ethics mean to Anastasia?
“Nothing. I don’t mean that it’s not important, but it’s impossible to define ethics because it’s something that’s personal to each person. And that’s one of the challenges...when we talk about ethical photography or ethical war reporting. It’s impossible to define ethics, but, for me, if I were to boil it all down to one rule for myself, it is do no harm. To the best of my ability, don’t hurt anyone with my reporting.” (40:31)
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In this episode, we talk with Raymond Thompson on speculation. He talks about how his portfolio represents the many different disciplines and approaches that inform his work. He discusses his role as a photographer in understanding himself within history, and the challenges of working with archives that are often incomplete. Raymond formulates his idea of speculation in photography, as a way of filling in the gaps when facts are no longer effective.
What does photography ethics mean to Raymond?
“So much. The one way is ethics should be the operational code of how to engage...the subject-photographer relationship... So it’s really that negotiation between that relationship between photographer and the person being photographed. And that’s an important relationship to work through. The other part for me is visual ethics, or the right to be seen or not to be seen or representational ideas. I think about that a lot, especially about gaze–the male gaze, white gaze, Black gaze, and how we look. That’s how I look at ethics mostly, through that lens, or the idea of who’s doing the looking?” (44:15)
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In this episode, we talk with Pia Johnson on performing identity. She explores how her formal education in other artforms, like textiles, is present in her photographic practice. She discusses how photographing herself can be freeing, and she also acknowledges the challenges that come with it. She ends by discussing the ethical dilemmas and requisite care that come with working with family archives, both hers and beyond.
What does photography ethics mean to Pia?
“The crux of it is respect and care. And I think we’ve covered those things, but at the same time there’s a responsibility and a consciousness that we have to have as photographers that goes beyond us in the moment, that we’re consciously thinking about... Part of me feels like, this should just be so part of every photographers’ practice. We should just be conscious and kind and responsible. And I know that sounds a bit naive or idealistic, but actually it’s a really powerful tool and it is an important one, especially in the age that we live in where images are everywhere. How can we make sure that we put the best images forward that have integrity and have respect and have care? And are conscious of the legacy they will leave? And the future’s history. That’s what we’re thinking about and making images for. They’re not just sitting in a drawer or on a hard drive. They’re out in the world and we need to be responsible for that.” (40:06)
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In this episode, we talk with Anastasia Taylor-Lind about being slow, kind, and gentle. She shares her experiences of telling delicate stories about people struggling with trauma, and she describes how she works to include their input in order to craft more authentic photographs. She goes on to talk about the differences between her roles as a photojournalist and poet, and how she decides which medium is more fitting for the stories she tells.
What does photography ethics mean to Anastasia?
“Nothing. I don’t mean that it’s not important, but it’s impossible to define ethics because it’s something that’s personal to each person. And that’s one of the challenges...when we talk about ethical photography or ethical war reporting. It’s impossible to define ethics, but, for me, if I were to boil it all down to one rule for myself, it is do no harm. To the best of my ability, don’t hurt anyone with my reporting.” (40:31)
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In this episode, we talk with Fred Ritchin about photography for a better world. Fred offers a thoughtful reflection on image-making practices and their evolutions over the fifty years that he has been involved in the photography industry. He speaks about the power of images, and how this power relates to the importance of contextualisation and transparency about the image-making process. Finally, he touches on the shifts that are happening with regard to synthetic imagery generated by AI technologies and what this means for the future of photography.
What does photography ethics mean to Fred?
“The purpose of photography is not to make more images. It’s not to be celebrated as the greatest photographer. It’s not to be picked as the picture of the year. The ethics of it is that you’re a citizen of the world, and you’re using photography to make the world a better place – whether as a witness, as an advocate, as a family photographer … you’re using it in such a way to be useful, be helpful in the world. And this sort of disconnect – like the photo festivals where there’s great photos, other photographers see them, and then we say ‘photography is flourishing!’ – well, but my question is: but what’s its impact on the world outside of the bubble of other photographers? And to me that’s what photo ethics is. You know, I used to start many of my lectures: ‘I don’t care about photography, I care about the world.’ And if we could use the photography to make it a better world, that’s the ethics of it.” (41:35)
Links:
Susan Meiselas
Gilles Peress
Bosnia: Uncertain paths to peace
Four Corners Project
Writing with Light
Statement of Ethics Campaign
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In this episode, we talk with Brent Lewis about becoming the story. He describes the importance of not becoming the story by incentivising people to participate in being photographed, but he also explains that we are, ultimately, part of the stories that we tell with the camera. Brent spends some time debunking some other “J School” ideas that can sometimes perpetuate unhelpful myths about photojournalism, including affirming that the photographs we take impact us in long lasting ways.
What does photography ethics mean to Brent?
“Photography ethics to me means to just bear witness. Let’s not changing anything. Don’t have ideas of what things are going to be or what it is. Just show what life is. That’s the beauty of what we do. … I want to see that person next door lives like, and how that communicates to me and how I see what they are going through that make me understand life that so much better. I want to see the person that is 20,000 miles away and what their life looks like, and how, at the end of the day, we both want the same thing. We both want to be happy, we both want love, we both want compassion, we both want that freedom, that ability to breathe and to live. So photography ethics at the end of the day means to just show me that reality. Show me what’s happening in the world and do just that. Do not harm, go no above and beyond. Just give it to me straight.” (46:23)
Links:
Diversify.Photo
“Photography is a superpower” tops and totes
World Press Photo Award 2023 Jury
Miranda Barns
Gordon Parks
Evgeniy Maloletka
Article about Lyndsey Addario “Photographing the Reality of War” by Emmett Lindner
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In this episode, we talk with Margaret Mitchell about connection and sincerity. She describes some of the projects she has undertaken which look at the experiences of homelessness and of end of life care. She explains how she gained her understanding of ethics and representation through photographing her own family members. Finally, Margaret offers a description of what she believes that true collaboration or collaborative practice entails.
What does photography ethics mean to Margaret?
“It’s very much about the very substance of what it is to be human, you know, how do we approach others in life and treat them? And that’s across all that we do, not just around photography, every interaction. But I really see photography as just being – being a photographer – as just a continuation of that approach, you know, about treating other people with a level of decency. … I’m really, really clear with people when I start a project, exactly who I am and what I’m doing. And I think, ethically, you have to do that.” (35:43)
Links:
An Ordinary Eden
Finding Home: Photography and Representation
In This Place
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In this episode we talk with Shaminder Dulai about troublemaking. He describes how he navigates ethical considerations, both as a photo editor and as a photojournalist. He defines the difference between a “picture taker” and a “picture maker,” he discusses media literacy, and he describes the responsibilities that come with image making. Shaminder advocates for a kind of “troublemaking” by speaking up when you have questions or concerns.
What does photography ethics mean to Shaminder?
“I think for me the answer is: at the end of the day are you proud to put your name on this? Do you feel like you did right that day? Ethics is like, kind of like objectivity, it’s not a binary and its always changing, it’s always evolving, it’s a living creature in a lot of ways. Ethics today are very different than what they were 20 years ago, same as objectivity, same as our norms in the newsroom. And I think ethics, it’s that higher purpose, like, okay: are you doing right by the responsibility of the journalism? Have you done your due diligence? Have you avoided perpetuating harm? Have you avoided stereotypes? Have you made time for the people you are working with to fully understand what the story is? Have you advocated when you felt like you should have? Did you not stay silent because you were afraid of making waves? I think ethics are all part of that. It’s like character. It’s like at the end of the day, all that comes together and your byline is on it.” (44:33)
Links:
Environmental Photographer of the Year Award
“Photography Ethics: Putting Ethics into Practice” by Shaminder Dulai at VII Insider
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In this episode we talk with Stephanie Lloyd and Erica Belli from Photovoice Worldwide about expanding the frame. They each explain how their distinct career trajectories led them to photovoice, and they describe why they find this research method valuable. They explore the ethical challenges that come with photovoice, and they also talk about the ethical challenges that photovoice aims to solve.
What does photography ethics mean to Erica?
“Photography ethics means so many things to me. I think the first thing that comes to mind is the idea that you have this tool in your hands, or you’re given this tool in your hands when it comes to photovoice, and you have to be responsible about it. It’s a bit about going into things with blinders or not. And deciding that you are going to think about the implications of a photo, you’re going to think not only of you taking this picture, but where is this pictures going to showcased, who is in this picture, what are the consequences for the person who is photographed, and where can this picture make change. There’s so many questions around photo ethics.” (41:57)
What does photography ethics mean to Stephanie?
“When I think about photovoice, I think about it as a social justice issue, so really through photography wanting to strive for diversity and equal representation involving groups that aren’t typically asked to share their opinions, and creating these opportunities for participants to share their voice and advocate for themselves and share what’s most important. … Photos are powerful tools, so making sure that through our photography that there is a piece of consideration here… While it can be such an important tool and something that can really uplift and share the power, making sure that we’re doing that in a way that’s respectful and that’s representative of groups and what they want to share.” (43:21)
Links:
Paulo Freire
“When Everything is Photovoice: Moving the conversation forward” by Daniela Miranda
“Taking an Anticolonial Approach to Photovoice: An interview with Dr. Jen Fricas”
Laura Lorenz
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In this episode we talk with Morwenna Kearsley about ethics as comfort. She describes both her personal projects and her projects working with participants, focusing on ownership and control over the images that are produced. She discusses her choice to focus on making portraits of objects instead of making portraits of people, and she shares the ethical responsibilities she feels as a photographer in the age of the internet.
What does photography ethics mean to Morwenna?
“Well I think it is an ongoing conversation that you have with yourself and your practice, whatever form that practice takes. So for me it’s a conversation between myself, the materials that I use, the technologies that I use, and how that relates to the people that I’m working with and the places that I’m working within. It’s not something fixed … as the technologies of photography change and the applications of photography change, photography ethics must and does change with it. … For me, it’s just trying to be as aware as possible about what you’re doing, and, for me, to not make work that I’m uncomfortable making, not to put anybody else in a situation that I would not be comfortable in…“ (39:47)
Links:
Creative Scotland
Street Level Photoworks
Sally Mann’s At Twelve
Source (magazine)
William Henry Fox Talbots’ Articles of Glass
Citizen Kane (film)
Jorge Luis Borges (writer)
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In this episode we talk with Nilupa Yasmin about unconscious bias. Nilupa describes the conversations that have shaped her thinking around unconscious bias, accessibility, and representation. She explains why she makes work, how weaving has become an integral part of her practice, and how craft can be a form of activism. She goes on to discuss her approach to participatory work with communities, and she encourages artists to undertake training to ensure that they are well-equipped to take on their safeguarding responsibilities in that setting.
What does photography ethics mean to Nilupa?
“For me, ethics is having that common ground of understanding with the people that you are working with, or the subject that you’re working with, it doesn’t necessarily have to be people. But its also understanding that there is a lot of power in the camera, and while you’re the one that’s pointing it, you need to have that understanding in who they are and what they are comfortable sharing with you. … So I think it’s just being conscious at different varying points, and always understanding that these are real people that you’re working with. And like Anthony Luvera said, ‘be conscious of your unconscious bias.’” (40:09)
Links:
Anthony Luvera: On collaborative representation
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