By Evangelia Giourouki
Even though I have not dealt with a real-life situation when I had to choose between an ethical and an unethical way of working, I felt deeply inspired by my class taught by Anibal Bueno titled Travel Photography. During this class, we learned not only about the technical requirements of travel photography and portraits, but we also had the opportunity to discuss ethical dilemmas. The professor shared his rich experience with documenting. African cultures, within an ethnographic context, and he provided us with many details in order to understand their lives and rituals. However, I was deeply touched by his sensitivity towards their culture and his ethical concerns that were raised during the class. When working as a cultural or ethnographic explorer, photographer and researcher, it goes without saying that cultural exploration becomes a necessary activity to understand and become a part of a different community.
Through the professor’s narration of his adventures in Africa, I started thinking about what I would do if I were in his situation. It really made me think. How would I react if I had to face the same ethical dilemmas, and what options do I have?
The first and most important dilemma is related to photography and children. On the one hand, it is important to share one’s culture with the world, especially if it is inaccessible to the majority of people or inaccessible trough internet and it is. considered rare. Without a doubt, it is very useful to document other cultures, especially if found in small communities or parts of the world that cannot easily be accessed. There is great cultural and historical value in this action.
On the other hand, when we have to deal with children, we have to be especially sensitive because we live in a world where not everything is innocent. Children can be prey for sick individuals, and it is important to remember that before we publish a child’s picture online. It does not matter if that child has access to the Internet or if that child will ever see that picture. It is our responsibility to protect children. in such cases. The next thing to do would be to ask for permission. Ideally, we ask for permission before taking a picture, and then it might be granted to us. However, as per the professor’s advice, sometimes we have to act in the moment in order not to lose the originality or the feeling of the setting. In the second case, we have to ask for permission immediately after taking a photo. In any case, permission should be asked for and secured before we proceed with publishing a photo.
Another thing to consider is financial reward when taking a photo. Sometimes we can help an individual, such as the case with the model who managed to help his parents. In other cases, however, we don’t know who might try to take advantage of a child’s money. In extreme cases, we might put a child in danger by giving them money because we make them a target. In conclusion, monetizing photographs of children is a highly sensitive topic, and one should make sure that an individual’s safety and integrity come first without any compromises, by following rigid guidelines and Journalistic standards.
This article is part of the practical work carried out by students on the Master’s Degree in Travel Journalism at the School of Travel Journalism.
