Photo Ethics in the Field

Everyone’s heard the saying ‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’ We wouldn't spend so much time capturing and sharing our images if we didn't believe in the power of images to communicate. The trouble with photography is, managing the effects we as photographers have on our subjects and their environments whether it be ancient historical sites, natural wonders, people or wildlife. Photographs don’t happen in a vacuum; photographers have to interact with their subject and their surroundings.

Although this topic is rather large, and filled with controversy, there are some common ethical problems that arise in travel photography which provide some perspective on how you may want to address them on your own adventures.

Ancient Historical Sites

Jeff Morgan, the owner of the Global Heritage Fund, was recently quoted, saying ‘No one should be allowed to walk on 1000 year old stones.’ Now, I doubt that he literally wants the great cathedrals of Europe to be closed to the public, but he has a good point. Many heavily trafficked areas of landmark temples like Angkor Wat have started to wear down to the point where they are actually losing their original shape and grandeur – authorities have started to protect them with walkways.

Obviously not just photographers, but the overall onslaught of tourists is responsible; unfortunately, it is us photographers that pay the price for the new ropes, railings and signage that are necessary to control the damage. If simple signs were adhered to, then it’s possible that photo opportunities could be left intact for us photographers. Obviously that’s just wishful thinking. The image below shows the classic view of the famous tree growing through Ta Prohm in the Angkor Temple complex. Unfortunately this shot isn't there anymore… The following image shows how the scene has been fenced off with a platform and railing due to the amount of tourists who used to stand on the tree roots and stones to have their photographs taken; this changes the scene entirely for landscape photographers. All too often we see photographers ignoring the efforts of most developing countries to protect their heritage sites; killing the opportunity for future photographers to capture original photographs of world famous landmarks.

Photographing Children

There are thousands if not millions of opportunities around the world to photograph people doing something unique or wearing interesting clothing or with amazing faces. There is nothing more entertaining than casual people or street photography. In saying this, plenty of harm can result as well. Firstly, we’ll start with kids. In developing countries especially, many photographers pay small children to take their photograph; more times than not, those kids should be in school or studying and instead they have been dressed up and sent out to beg. This can quickly become their way of life once they become a source of revenue for their families.

Something that is almost as bad as money, is giving them lollies/sweets. Most of the children who have not been pushed into begging love having their photos taken and would not like or ask for anything in return. Showing them the image you have taken for them on the back of your camera is more times than not, icing on the cake for them.

If you feel you should give the children anything for their photograph, lean more towards things such as pencils or other school supplies. Or an even better alternative is to look for controlled ways to get photo opportunities. Visit monasteries, nunneries or schools and donate money to the institution while also giving the students pencils or school books.

 

Paying adults to take their picture is more complicated than paying children. Obviously there isn’t anything wrong with earning a living by modelling but in cases where the money encourages customs which have outlived their usefulness to continue for sakes of tourism, the photographs no longer justify for social cost.

Wildlife

Everyone would be familiar with scenes of harassment of wildlife, with photographers flushing nesting birds to get photographs of chicks or pursuing animals and making it difficult for them to eat. These are no-brainer bad ideas but there are other less obvious examples of how photographing wild animals can cause them trouble.

Photographing Kills

If you hear stories from anyone who stayed right on top of a hunting animal, ask them whether they had thought through all the consequences down the road.

For some people, there is nothing more exciting than watching predators hunt, whether it be a pack of wild dogs, a pride of lions or a lone leopard; the way they stalk and isolate their prey and the wild chase that follows, is often the highlight of an African safari. These animals are not so dumb. Many have learned to look for tourists or trucks and assume predators are close by. The guides have been trained to back off once a hunting animal gets serious enough to stalk their prey. Obviously, once the prey has seen their predator, the game is afoot and there are photographers everywhere; but giving the animals some space at the right time, we help to avoid stressing them and have helped to ensure they won’t eventually avoid all trucks in the future.

Unintended Consequences

A rare treat for photographers is photographing Meerkats. Some type of habituation is a must for good photo opportunities as Meerkats, when first encountered, aren't very tolerant of people. Having a person near, them most of the time, scares the males that are out looking for nearby Meerkat families to breed with. The guides were smart enough to realise that the animals were getting scared, and learnt to back off when that family is looking for nearby Meerkats; even though this lead to a fall in their business short term.

These are just a few examples of times when a photographer will have to make some ethical decisions. There are new situations everyday as our environment continually changes and the number of tourists and travelling photographers continues to increase.