In this episode we talk with Annie Tritt about intentions and impact. Annie explains their personal journey with photography ethics as a young photographer starting out in their career. They explore their initial misunderstanding that closeness to an individual gives you the right to photograph them, and the responsibility photographers have to the people they photograph. Annie describes being asked to work on a piece about detransitioning, and argues against the need to always show two sides to every story. They also talk about the difference in ethics and transparency between editorial and commercial work, and how portraiture can be a collaborative process.What you’ll find inside:‘A lot of people would probably disagree with me. They think the larger topic is more important but, to me, the people in the photos are my number one concern.’ (8.43)‘She used drugs, she was abused, they became homeless many times. None of that was my experience, and I hadn’t studied it. Just because I could go to her house, and the kids came over my house, and we liked each other. Like what am I going to illuminate about that?’ (10.53)‘I was in grad school when Katrina happened and I ran there. I had no business being there, I have zero business being there. And the professors at school told me that, and I didn’t listen.’ (14.40)‘The media feels like it needs to give both side. Kind of like during the Trump administration, there’s not two sides. I feel like during the Holocaust, there aren’t two sides. In the effort to be fair we’ve been told we have to show both sides but there isn’t both sides.’ (16.40)‘If I’m selling iPhones, I’m not pretending I’m doing anything but selling something and there’s something really transparent about that. Whereas the transparency in editorial is the so dicey.’ (19.30)‘With portraits, for me, it’s very collaborative. Like where do you want to be? And I can explain I know you love being here but the sun is bad. I can explain visually why I can’t do it but I can say we can come back here later, but is there somewhere else? It becomes, for me, way more collaborative so it’s something we’re doing together.’ (25.24) ‘When I came into doing the trans project, so many people said no because they were like people in the media have burned us and were not trusting again.’ (29.40)‘Is talking about poverty important? Yeah. Is talking about how it happened? Yeah. Do you photograph someone’s kid naked that you don’t know? No.’ (30.23)What does photography ethics mean to Annie?‘I think about ethics a lot in everything. I think ethics to me are something that I revisit a lot in interactions in my daily life. Ethics are about having a baseline of ethics of your life. How do I impact the people around me? How do I impact the environment? What are my big intentions? What are my small intentions? And revisiting tht. Having dialogue with the people in the photos, with yourself - the people that you work for it harder - but having dialogue as a community.’ (31.29)Links:Transcending SelfCatchlight fellowship grant

In this episode we talk with Annie Tritt about intentions and impact. Annie explains their personal journey with photography ethics as a young photographer starting out in their career. They explore their initial misunderstanding that closeness to an individual gives you the right to photograph them, and the responsibility photographers have to the people they photograph. Annie describes being asked to work on a piece about detransitioning, and argues against the need to always show two sides to every story. They also talk about the difference in ethics and transparency between editorial and commercial work, and how portraiture can be a collaborative process.What you’ll find inside:‘A lot of people would probably disagree with me. They think the larger topic is more important but, to me, the people in the photos are my number one concern.’ (8.43)‘She used drugs, she was abused, they became homeless many times. None of that was my experience, and I hadn’t studied it. Just because I could go to her house, and the kids came over my house, and we liked each other. Like what am I going to illuminate about that?’ (10.53)‘I was in grad school when Katrina happened and I ran there. I had no business being there, I have zero business being there. And the professors at school told me that, and I didn’t listen.’ (14.40)‘The media feels like it needs to give both side. Kind of like during the Trump administration, there’s not two sides. I feel like during the Holocaust, there aren’t two sides. In the effort to be fair we’ve been told we have to show both sides but there isn’t both sides.’ (16.40)‘If I’m selling iPhones, I’m not pretending I’m doing anything but selling something and there’s something really transparent about that. Whereas the transparency in editorial is the so dicey.’ (19.30)‘With portraits, for me, it’s very collaborative. Like where do you want to be? And I can explain I know you love being here but the sun is bad. I can explain visually why I can’t do it but I can say we can come back here later, but is there somewhere else? It becomes, for me, way more collaborative so it’s something we’re doing together.’ (25.24) ‘When I came into doing the trans project, so many people said no because they were like people in the media have burned us and were not trusting again.’ (29.40)‘Is talking about poverty important? Yeah. Is talking about how it happened? Yeah. Do you photograph someone’s kid naked that you don’t know? No.’ (30.23)What does photography ethics mean to Annie?‘I think about ethics a lot in everything. I think ethics to me are something that I revisit a lot in interactions in my daily life. Ethics are about having a baseline of ethics of your life. How do I impact the people around me? How do I impact the environment? What are my big intentions? What are my small intentions? And revisiting tht. Having dialogue with the people in the photos, with yourself - the people that you work for it harder - but having dialogue as a community.’ (31.29)Links:<a href="http://www.annietritt.com/transcending-self" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Transcending Self</a><a href="https://www.catchlight.io/the-catchlight-fellowship" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Catchlight fellowship grant</a>

Annie Tritt: On intentions and impact

In this episode, we talk with Fati Abubakar about changing the narrative. Fati explains her motivations for countering misrepresentation and creating new narratives. She explores the ethical issues that can arise when photographers fly in to a country without a deep awareness of cultural nuances and the resulting repercussions.  Fati describes her connection to the people she photographs and how invested she becomes in their stories. She also talks about her experience with managing work life balance, and how she took a break from conflict zones and attended therapy to address this. Fati details her approach to teaching photography and why it is important to teach them about photography ethics.What you’ll find inside:‘There’s always this backdrop of tragedy. And I didn’t like how we were always unhappy in coverage in mainstream media. Do we ever have weddings? Do we give birth to children? Are there naming ceremonies? Are we in school? Do we go to the market to buy groceries? What is the day to day in a conflict zone?’ (4.41)‘I didn’t like how we were showing people online or on television, and talking about this girl was raped by a terrorist or this girl was a sex slave for a terrorist knowing there would be repercussions. So there wasn’t a lot of attention on the cultural differences that we had and also on ensuring that person had the safety that they needed.’ (7.45)‘I wonder would I want to be in a book? Would I want to be in someone’s home, in a frame from a photo they bought? Would I want to be in a gallery? A lot of these questions are personal for me, at the same time being an ethical, and moral dilemma.’ (12.50)‘The closer you are, the more of a burden it becomes because you start to feel personally responsible for anything that happens to that person. And then you become emotionally attached to a point where you’re very protective of however the content is being used.’ (17.18)‘I have a tendency to get so absorbed to a point where I want to see where they go, where the story leads, how they end up, and I still want to communicate and I always want to link them to other organisations that may help them. For me it becomes a personal issue.’ (24.00)On going to therapy and work life balance: ‘I cried at her for teaching me boundaries. I was easily accessible, I was available to everyone but myself.’ (27.45)‘I came into teaching knowing that I didn’t want to teach young, impressionable people photography without making them aware of not only the historical colonial gaze in many different continents, but also moving forward how to represent their own communities.’ (29.50)‘I think that a lot of people go in with the camera first. I think that for me is a problem. Sometimes you have to spend a lot of time without the camera to understand people, to understand society.’  (37.16)What does photography ethics mean to Fati?‘For me, approaching a story ethically, means that… I always say that I want to photograph people the way I would like to be photographed. And it means that I want someone to take a photo of me where I would be happy with the image, and how I would be represented. And always to show me what the image looks like, to show me how they portrayed me. To show me how they will tell my story, to ask me if I like how my story is being told, to ask me if this captures the essence of my story. So it’s always for me how would you take this photograph if this was someone in your family or if this was you and your self portrait? Are you happy with what this looks like? Is this something you want to present to the world?’  (40.11)Links:Bits of BornoTales by LightB&amp;HNational GeographicTED 

In this episode, we talk with Fati Abubakar about changing the narrative. Fati explains her motivations for countering misrepresentation and creating new narratives. She explores the ethical issues that can arise when photographers fly in to a country without a deep awareness of cultural nuances and the resulting repercussions. Fati describes her connection to the people she photographs and how invested she becomes in their stories. She also talks about her experience with managing work life balance, and how she took a break from conflict zones and attended therapy to address this. Fati details her approach to teaching photography and why it is important to teach them about photography ethics.What you’ll find inside:‘There’s always this backdrop of tragedy. And I didn’t like how we were always unhappy in coverage in mainstream media. Do we ever have weddings? Do we give birth to children? Are there naming ceremonies? Are we in school? Do we go to the market to buy groceries? What is the day to day in a conflict zone?’ (4.41)‘I didn’t like how we were showing people online or on television, and talking about this girl was raped by a terrorist or this girl was a sex slave for a terrorist knowing there would be repercussions. So there wasn’t a lot of attention on the cultural differences that we had and also on ensuring that person had the safety that they needed.’ (7.45)‘I wonder would I want to be in a book? Would I want to be in someone’s home, in a frame from a photo they bought? Would I want to be in a gallery? A lot of these questions are personal for me, at the same time being an ethical, and moral dilemma.’ (12.50)‘The closer you are, the more of a burden it becomes because you start to feel personally responsible for anything that happens to that person. And then you become emotionally attached to a point where you’re very protective of however the content is being used.’ (17.18)‘I have a tendency to get so absorbed to a point where I want to see where they go, where the story leads, how they end up, and I still want to communicate and I always want to link them to other organisations that may help them. For me it becomes a personal issue.’ (24.00)On going to therapy and work life balance: ‘I cried at her for teaching me boundaries. I was easily accessible, I was available to everyone but myself.’ (27.45)‘I came into teaching knowing that I didn’t want to teach young, impressionable people photography without making them aware of not only the historical colonial gaze in many different continents, but also moving forward how to represent their own communities.’ (29.50)‘I think that a lot of people go in with the camera first. I think that for me is a problem. Sometimes you have to spend a lot of time without the camera to understand people, to understand society.’ (37.16)What does photography ethics mean to Fati?‘For me, approaching a story ethically, means that… I always say that I want to photograph people the way I would like to be photographed. And it means that I want someone to take a photo of me where I would be happy with the image, and how I would be represented. And always to show me what the image looks like, to show me how they portrayed me. To show me how they will tell my story, to ask me if I like how my story is being told, to ask me if this captures the essence of my story. So it’s always for me how would you take this photograph if this was someone in your family or if this was you and your self portrait? Are you happy with what this looks like? Is this something you want to present to the world?’ (40.11)Links:<a href="https://fatiabubakar.com/nacht" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bits of Borno</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_by_Light" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tales by Light</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/BandH" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">B&amp;H</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/NatGeo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">National Geographic</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/TED" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TED</a>

Fati Abubakar: On changing the narrative

In this episode, we talk with Arpita Shah about representing identity. Arpita talks about the process of working with participants on their own representation and how the photographer and participant may see the same photograph differently. She discusses her experience photographing her ill grandmother, the ethical considerations that involved, and the importance of transparency and dialogue with participants on the way they are represented. Arpita also describes how she explored the use of audio for a project and how participants responded differently to the medium. Lastly, she reflects on how her own background helps her to form a connection with the people she is photographing.What you’ll find inside:‘I think it’s something I’m learning from every time, and it changes. I think sometimes when you look back at work, there’s certain images of my grandmother that I really love as an artist and I know curators really like the image, but as an elderly South Asian woman I know she might not be comfortable with that image being shown. So just trying to navigate and learn around that.’ (4.40)On photographing an ill family member: ‘I was using metaphors of fragile flowers, or photographs that were crumbling. That’s how I worked around it but I absolutely understand. It’s difficult to approach it through the lens and so you have to be a little more creative and have more conversations around it.’ (7.23)‘I’m very fortunate but a lot of the time, the people I work with and photograph, because we’re exploring cultural identity and the meaning of home, I can identify a lot with that and they really know what my work’s about.’ (10.35)‘Being able to hear those sounds and drink tea, all these senses about home and displacement were being sparked up when you were listening. The photographs didn’t work at that point so I  ended up doing something very different.’ (14.26)‘It’s something I’ve learnt from, and am still learning - what I’ve found is a lot of the time as a photograph when I take a photoshoot of somebody, the photograph they’re going to pick is always going to be very different to the one I’m going to pick.’ (15.28) ‘I think it’s very important ethically to be very transparent and clear on your role as a photographer but also always be open to input and feedback that the person you photograph had.’ (17.30)‘With the themes I explore in my work, there’s a shared experience and this kind of understanding that really helps me and the people I photograph connect.’ (22.16)‘I think it’s really hard because I’ve made work in the past that I really thought was a small project and it can end up, 15 years later, on a billboard somewhere and you just don’t know these things. You just have to think about protection all the time, protecting yourself as well,  protecting the people you photograph and being really transparent.’ (24.03) What does photography ethics mean to Arpita?‘To be an ethical photographer is to accept your learning from experiences, that you’re learning and there isn’t a straight guide to how to be ethical. It’s based so much on what kind of genre you work in, what kind of photography you are, what your own methodologies are as a practitioner. But crucially it’s about being aware of the power you have as a photographer, being responsible and accountable for that trust that people are giving you when they allow you to photograph them, respecting that agreement, respecting them.’ (25.16)Links: Light Work and Autograph ABP Artist-in-residence programmeFòcas ScotlandStreet Level PhotoworksNaliniIn Sickness and in Health by Colin GrayCreative ScotlandPortraits of HomeAn LanntairCopan ChaiPurdah - The Sacred Cloth

In this episode, we talk with Arpita Shah about representing identity. Arpita talks about the process of working with participants on their own representation and how the photographer and participant may see the same photograph differently. She discusses her experience photographing her ill grandmother, the ethical considerations that involved, and the importance of transparency and dialogue with participants on the way they are represented. Arpita also describes how she explored the use of audio for a project and how participants responded differently to the medium. Lastly, she reflects on how her own background helps her to form a connection with the people she is photographing.What you’ll find inside:‘I think it’s something I’m learning from every time, and it changes. I think sometimes when you look back at work, there’s certain images of my grandmother that I really love as an artist and I know curators really like the image, but as an elderly South Asian woman I know she might not be comfortable with that image being shown. So just trying to navigate and learn around that.’ (4.40)On photographing an ill family member: ‘I was using metaphors of fragile flowers, or photographs that were crumbling. That’s how I worked around it but I absolutely understand. It’s difficult to approach it through the lens and so you have to be a little more creative and have more conversations around it.’ (7.23)‘I’m very fortunate but a lot of the time, the people I work with and photograph, because we’re exploring cultural identity and the meaning of home, I can identify a lot with that and they really know what my work’s about.’ (10.35)‘Being able to hear those sounds and drink tea, all these senses about home and displacement were being sparked up when you were listening. The photographs didn’t work at that point so I ended up doing something very different.’ (14.26)‘It’s something I’ve learnt from, and am still learning - what I’ve found is a lot of the time as a photograph when I take a photoshoot of somebody, the photograph they’re going to pick is always going to be very different to the one I’m going to pick.’ (15.28) ‘I think it’s very important ethically to be very transparent and clear on your role as a photographer but also always be open to input and feedback that the person you photograph had.’ (17.30)‘With the themes I explore in my work, there’s a shared experience and this kind of understanding that really helps me and the people I photograph connect.’ (22.16)‘I think it’s really hard because I’ve made work in the past that I really thought was a small project and it can end up, 15 years later, on a billboard somewhere and you just don’t know these things. You just have to think about protection all the time, protecting yourself as well, protecting the people you photograph and being really transparent.’ (24.03) What does photography ethics mean to Arpita?‘To be an ethical photographer is to accept your learning from experiences, that you’re learning and there isn’t a straight guide to how to be ethical. It’s based so much on what kind of genre you work in, what kind of photography you are, what your own methodologies are as a practitioner. But crucially it’s about being aware of the power you have as a photographer, being responsible and accountable for that trust that people are giving you when they allow you to photograph them, respecting that agreement, respecting them.’ (25.16)Links:<a href="https://www.lightwork.org/autograph-abp/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Light Work and Autograph ABP Artist-in-residence programme</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/focasphotoscotland/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fòcas Scotland</a><a href="https://www.streetlevelphotoworks.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Street Level Photoworks</a><a href="http://www.arpitashah.com/Nalini" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nalini</a><a href="https://www.streetlevelphotoworks.org/microsite/galleries/colin-gray-in-sickness-and-in-health.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">In Sickness and in Health by Colin Gray</a><a href="https://www.creativescotland.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Creative Scotland</a><a href="http://www.arpitashah.com/Portrait-of-Home" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Portraits of Home</a><a href="https://lanntair.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">An Lanntair</a><a href="http://www.arpitashah.com/Copan-Chai" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Copan Chai</a><a href="http://www.arpitashah.com/Purdah-The-Sacred-Cloth" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Purdah - The Sacred Cloth</a>

Arpita Shah: On representing identity

Anthony Luvera

In this episode, we talk with Anthony Luvera about collaborative representation. He provides an insight into his approach to collaborative work, what collaboration means to him, and the interplay between collaboration and representation. Anthony explores his early roots in collaborative photography and how they led him to the socially-engaged work he does today. In particular, he describes his work with people experiencing homelessness and how he has formulated ethical processes to aid collaboration. Anthony also dives into his thoughts on ethical issues such as paying participants and participant consent.What you’ll find inside:‘I’m really interested in using photography in a way where I’m able to involve or invite participants to co-create the work that I’m making with and about them.’ (2.00)‘This idea of consent is a dialogue. And just because a participant may say yes, it doesn’t preclude them from having the capacity or right to say no and to withdraw that consent.’ (10.26)‘What’s more important is not necessarily the duration that one has to work within, but rather is the clarity of the invitation and the sharing of information with the participants.’ (15.39)‘I think the thing to remember, for me, is that it’s not about someone taking part in a project. More importantly, it’s about a relationship with a person and keeping the value of what you’re doing in check - particularly when I’m working with people who are experiencing homelessness.’ (18.40)On his photography workshop with people experiencing homelessness: ‘People came with all kinds of questions… why are you doing this? What’s in it for me? What will I get out of this? Are you making money out of this? How can I make money out of this? What is this for?’ (21.55)‘I can see now that my earliest experiences of photography have been about enabling other people’s knowledge of photography and generating enthusiasm for photography.’ (24.02)On the ethical considerations of paying participants: ‘Often the participants that I work with are on benefits, and any kind of formal payments to them would adversely affect their capacity to continue to receive those benefits. So thinking creatively about how one [pays a participant ethically], whether that’s through gift vouchers or whether that’s cash in hand.’ (28.58)‘I think it’s also important to be really open about your intentions and to be really willing and flexible about adjusting your intentions to really take on board the feedback from participants.’ (33.20)What does photo ethics mean to Anthony?‘For me, photography ethics - ethics in general - is a continual questioning of is this the best possible way to use photography? Are there other ways we can use photography? And in doing so, what kinds of challenges might that present? I often think about the work of Martha Rosler - the writing of Martha Rosler as much as her photographic practise - and in particular, a statement that she wrote in her essay Post-Documentary Post-Photography? where she speaks about representational responsibility, and the kind of responsibility that is incumbent upon a photographer or any kind of cultural producer. To really take into consideration the information they convey through their practise and how they go about taking in hand the decisions they make in relation to disseminating the work, in relation to speaking about the work, as well as how the work itself is created and what it depicts. I think it’s about keeping your intentions in check, it’s about considering the context in which you disseminate the work, it’s about how you create that work.’LinksArt on the UndergroundConstruct (project with GRAIN and SIFA Fireside)In Conversation Not Going ShoppingGravitasMermaids UKCrisisThe Bowery in two inadequate descriptive systems by Martha Rosler ResidencyPhotography for Whom magazinePost-Documentary, Post-Photography? by Martha Rosler

In this episode, we talk with Anthony Luvera about collaborative representation. He provides an insight into his approach to collaborative work, what collaboration means to him, and the interplay between collaboration and representation. Anthony explores his early roots in collaborative photography and how they led him to the socially-engaged work he does today. In particular, he describes his work with people experiencing homelessness and how he has formulated ethical processes to aid collaboration. Anthony also dives into his thoughts on ethical issues such as paying participants and participant consent.What you’ll find inside:‘I’m really interested in using photography in a way where I’m able to involve or invite participants to co-create the work that I’m making with and about them.’ (2.00)‘This idea of consent is a dialogue. And just because a participant may say yes, it doesn’t preclude them from having the capacity or right to say no and to withdraw that consent.’ (10.26)‘What’s more important is not necessarily the duration that one has to work within, but rather is the clarity of the invitation and the sharing of information with the participants.’ (15.39)‘I think the thing to remember, for me, is that it’s not about someone taking part in a project. More importantly, it’s about a relationship with a person and keeping the value of what you’re doing in check - particularly when I’m working with people who are experiencing homelessness.’ (18.40)On his photography workshop with people experiencing homelessness: ‘People came with all kinds of questions… why are you doing this? What’s in it for me? What will I get out of this? Are you making money out of this? How can I make money out of this? What is this for?’ (21.55)‘I can see now that my earliest experiences of photography have been about enabling other people’s knowledge of photography and generating enthusiasm for photography.’ (24.02)On the ethical considerations of paying participants: ‘Often the participants that I work with are on benefits, and any kind of formal payments to them would adversely affect their capacity to continue to receive those benefits. So thinking creatively about how one [pays a participant ethically], whether that’s through gift vouchers or whether that’s cash in hand.’ (28.58)‘I think it’s also important to be really open about your intentions and to be really willing and flexible about adjusting your intentions to really take on board the feedback from participants.’ (33.20)What does photo ethics mean to Anthony?‘For me, photography ethics - ethics in general - is a continual questioning of is this the best possible way to use photography? Are there other ways we can use photography? And in doing so, what kinds of challenges might that present? I often think about the work of Martha Rosler - the writing of Martha Rosler as much as her photographic practise - and in particular, a statement that she wrote in her essay Post-Documentary Post-Photography? where she speaks about representational responsibility, and the kind of responsibility that is incumbent upon a photographer or any kind of cultural producer. To really take into consideration the information they convey through their practise and how they go about taking in hand the decisions they make in relation to disseminating the work, in relation to speaking about the work, as well as how the work itself is created and what it depicts. I think it’s about keeping your intentions in check, it’s about considering the context in which you disseminate the work, it’s about how you create that work.’Links<a href="https://art.tfl.gov.uk/projects/anthony-luvera/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Art on the Underground</a><a href="https://grainphotographyhub.co.uk/portfolio-type/anthony-luvera/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Construct</a> (project with <a href="https://grainphotographyhub.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GRAIN</a> and <a href="https://sifafireside.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SIFA Fireside</a>)<a href="https://www.luvera.com/project/in-conversation/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">In Conversation</a> <a href="https://photoworks.org.uk/not-going-shopping-anthony-luvera/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Not Going Shopping</a><a href="https://www.1854.photography/2017/01/teenagers-star-in-the-gravitas-exhibition-at-london-art-fair/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gravitas</a><a href="https://mermaidsuk.org.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mermaids UK</a><a href="https://www.crisis.org.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Crisis</a><a href="https://www.martharosler.net/the-bowery-in-two-inadequate-descriptive-systems" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Bowery in two inadequate descriptive systems by Martha Rosler</a> <a href="https://www.luvera.com/project/residency-photographies/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Residency</a><a href="https://photographyforwhom.com/shop" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Photography for Whom magazine</a><a href="https://www.are.na/block/1791938" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post-Documentary, Post-Photography? by Martha Rosler</a>

Anthony Luvera: On collaborative representation

In this episode, we talk with Sebah Chaudhry about diversity and inclusion. Sebah emphasises the need for diversity across organisations and educational institutions, and the impact this can have. She explains the importance of mentorship in order to help photographers understand their worth, and the problematic ways in which organisations can take advantage of photographers of colour. Discussing her own experience, Sebah recounts her process for deciding whether to work with an organisation or individual. Sebah stresses the need for organisations to be held accountable.What you’ll find inside: ‘I’ve worked with really great organisations and they all do have great values but, of course, we have to always question those and we have to make sure that they are being held accountable.’ (5.50)‘For her not to get paid, even if it’s a nominal fee, I think that’s just really terrible. I feel like if they were photographers who were white, and male, and middle-aged, they would have been paid.’ (8.50)‘I have worked on projects before where there have been all white photographers and I have challenged this, or tried to work out why that is. If there’s an application, for example, why are only white photographers applying for this? And what can we do to make it different?’ (16.18)‘I feel like it’s really important for every single person, organisation to have a statement of ethics and why has this not been done before? We should have these statements and make ourselves accountable.’ (19.35)‘If we don’t represent those artists, then how will we achieve equality? How will there be more inclusion? We have to include these photographers, we have to show their work, we have to give them commissions, and we have to support them.’ (23.42)‘You need to have people of colour on boards of organisations, but you also need to have them in leadership roles.’ (25.37)‘We need allies. We need support, and it can’t just be something that black people do or brown people do. It needs to be everybody.’ (27.25)‘Why aren’t lecturers, why aren’t heads of universities making these changes? Maybe if they don’t have as many students of colour, why is that? Is it because it’s not reflected in the teaching staff?’ (35.04)What does photo ethics mean to Sebah?‘To me, it’s about being fair and holding myself accountable for the decisions that I make, which includes who I work with and why I work with them. And also holding others accountable.’ (35.20) Links: ReFramedPicturing High StreetsPeer to Peer: UK/HKAIS Open 2022RedeyeRedeye graduate mentoring schemeFormat FestivalStreet Level PhotoworksStills

In this episode, we talk with Sebah Chaudhry about diversity and inclusion. Sebah emphasises the need for diversity across organisations and educational institutions, and the impact this can have. She explains the importance of mentorship in order to help photographers understand their worth, and the problematic ways in which organisations can take advantage of photographers of colour. Discussing her own experience, Sebah recounts her process for deciding whether to work with an organisation or individual. Sebah stresses the need for organisations to be held accountable.What you’ll find inside: ‘I’ve worked with really great organisations and they all do have great values but, of course, we have to always question those and we have to make sure that they are being held accountable.’ (5.50)‘For her not to get paid, even if it’s a nominal fee, I think that’s just really terrible. I feel like if they were photographers who were white, and male, and middle-aged, they would have been paid.’ (8.50)‘I have worked on projects before where there have been all white photographers and I have challenged this, or tried to work out why that is. If there’s an application, for example, why are only white photographers applying for this? And what can we do to make it different?’ (16.18)‘I feel like it’s really important for every single person, organisation to have a statement of ethics and why has this not been done before? We should have these statements and make ourselves accountable.’ (19.35)‘If we don’t represent those artists, then how will we achieve equality? How will there be more inclusion? We have to include these photographers, we have to show their work, we have to give them commissions, and we have to support them.’ (23.42)‘You need to have people of colour on boards of organisations, but you also need to have them in leadership roles.’ (25.37)‘We need allies. We need support, and it can’t just be something that black people do or brown people do. It needs to be everybody.’ (27.25)‘Why aren’t lecturers, why aren’t heads of universities making these changes? Maybe if they don’t have as many students of colour, why is that? Is it because it’s not reflected in the teaching staff?’ (35.04)What does photo ethics mean to Sebah?‘To me, it’s about being fair and holding myself accountable for the decisions that I make, which includes who I work with and why I work with them. And also holding others accountable.’ (35.20) Links: <a href="https://www.reframed.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ReFramed</a><a href="https://historicengland.org.uk/get-involved/high-street-culture/picturing-high-streets/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Picturing High Streets</a><a href="https://cfcca.org.uk/what-we-do/peer-to-peer-uk-hk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Peer to Peer: UK/HK</a><a href="https://www.indiansummer.org.uk/open-2022" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">AIS Open 2022</a><a href="https://www.redeye.org.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Redeye</a><a href="https://www.redeye.org.uk/opportunities/graduate-mentoring-scheme-2022" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Redeye graduate mentoring scheme</a><a href="https://formatfestival.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Format Festival</a><a href="https://www.streetlevelphotoworks.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Street Level Photoworks</a><a href="https://stills.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stills</a>

Sebah Chaudhry: On diversity and inclusion

In this episode, we talk with Anne Nwakalor about reading and research. Anne discusses what motivated her to start No! Wahala, a magazine dedicated to showing work by African creatives, in the midst of the pandemic. She explains the need for a narrative shift in the way that Africa is depicted, and the impact that colonialism and white saviorism has had on this narrative. Anne highlights the need for respect within photography, and how foreign photographers can engage with local photographers in an ethical way. Anne also emphasises the need for photographers to continue learning in order to engage with the ever evolving nature of ethics.What you’ll find inside: ‘One thing that really propelled me to start it is because living in Nigeria surrounded by so many amazing photographers, photojournalists and one thing that we saw a lot is that for stories and features a lot of photographers from the West are being flown in.’ (4.30)‘Even though the intention was to get local photographers seen by industry professionals, it became so much more. It became like an educational platform, it became a resource.’ (5.20)‘There’s been a lot of issues going on with a lot of photographers presenting people that they photographed in a certain way, and it’s out of context and it causes a lot of issues. So in my full time job, when I’m putting something out there, I need to make sure that the context is correct.’ (8.35)‘Basically what I narrowed it down to was, not just getting the African photographers seen internationally but reshaping the narrative of the continent as a whole, because so much damage has been done with centuries of white saviorism and colonial gaze.’ (9.45)On asking local photographers for their advice: ‘I recommend you reach out to them and just talk through your ideas, talk through what it is that you want to achieve and also ask them if it’s feasible and if there’s a way that it can be done respectfully’ (13.00)‘Doing your research will help you to be specific, and will help you to narrow down what it is you want to accomplish, what it is that you stand for.’ (18.02)‘I feel like the photography industry transforms so many times. One moment something is ethical, the next thing it’s not. So that’s why it’s so important to be updating yourself and researching.’ (20.25)‘Because ethics is changing, you will make mistakes and there will be things you need to unlearn. And I think you need to position yourself in a way where you’re open to unlearning.’ (23.09)What does photo ethics mean to Anne?‘In one word, respect. That’s what it means to me. Being respectful, being respectful of the person you’re photographing, being respectful of who that person represents, being respectful of where you’re photographing it, you know what I mean, it’s just respect. And I feel like if us photographers go into what we’re doing with respect in our minds, we’ll be able to counteract a lot of the ethical issues that are going on right now.’ (29.28)Links: No! Wahala magazineThe Safe place issueAfrican Photojournalism Database

In this episode, we talk with Anne Nwakalor about reading and research. Anne discusses what motivated her to start No! Wahala, a magazine dedicated to showing work by African creatives, in the midst of the pandemic. She explains the need for a narrative shift in the way that Africa is depicted, and the impact that colonialism and white saviorism has had on this narrative. Anne highlights the need for respect within photography, and how foreign photographers can engage with local photographers in an ethical way. Anne also emphasises the need for photographers to continue learning in order to engage with the ever evolving nature of ethics.What you’ll find inside: ‘One thing that really propelled me to start it is because living in Nigeria surrounded by so many amazing photographers, photojournalists and one thing that we saw a lot is that for stories and features a lot of photographers from the West are being flown in.’ (4.30)‘Even though the intention was to get local photographers seen by industry professionals, it became so much more. It became like an educational platform, it became a resource.’ (5.20)‘There’s been a lot of issues going on with a lot of photographers presenting people that they photographed in a certain way, and it’s out of context and it causes a lot of issues. So in my full time job, when I’m putting something out there, I need to make sure that the context is correct.’ (8.35)‘Basically what I narrowed it down to was, not just getting the African photographers seen internationally but reshaping the narrative of the continent as a whole, because so much damage has been done with centuries of white saviorism and colonial gaze.’ (9.45)On asking local photographers for their advice: ‘I recommend you reach out to them and just talk through your ideas, talk through what it is that you want to achieve and also ask them if it’s feasible and if there’s a way that it can be done respectfully’ (13.00)‘Doing your research will help you to be specific, and will help you to narrow down what it is you want to accomplish, what it is that you stand for.’ (18.02)‘I feel like the photography industry transforms so many times. One moment something is ethical, the next thing it’s not. So that’s why it’s so important to be updating yourself and researching.’ (20.25)‘Because ethics is changing, you will make mistakes and there will be things you need to unlearn. And I think you need to position yourself in a way where you’re open to unlearning.’ (23.09)What does photo ethics mean to Anne?‘In one word, respect. That’s what it means to me. Being respectful, being respectful of the person you’re photographing, being respectful of who that person represents, being respectful of where you’re photographing it, you know what I mean, it’s just respect. And I feel like if us photographers go into what we’re doing with respect in our minds, we’ll be able to counteract a lot of the ethical issues that are going on right now.’ (29.28)Links: <a href="https://www.nowahalamag.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">No! Wahala magazine</a><a href="https://www.nowahalamag.com/safe-place" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Safe place issue</a><a href="https://www.worldpressphoto.org/education/programs/african-photojournalism-database" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">African Photojournalism Database</a>

Anne Nwakalor: On reading and research

In this episode, we talk with Tara Todras-Whitehill about becoming a storyteller. She shares how she first became a photographer, and the ethical situations she has found herself in since. Tara describes her current role training NGOs on how to tell stories powerfully and ethically, while explaining the different ethical contexts between journalism and NGO photography. She discusses the importance of going beyond a basic approach to consent, to ensure that the participant is well-informed. Tara also talks about how becoming a mother has altered the way she thinks and acts about photo ethics.What you’ll find inside: ‘I quit after four years because I wasn’t really getting what I wanted out of it and people thought I was crazy because I was quitting a staff job, and who quits a staff job? And I was like, but this wasn’t what I signed up for. So then I went back to doing more in depth storytelling for social impact.’ (10.18)‘NGOs vs journalism have very different decisions about what is correct for them.  I always take the journalist ethics to the organisations I’m working for, but you always have to figure out how to balance those things because they’re working in a different context.’ (14.18)‘If you do the down-trodden thing and like woe is me and whatever, they don’t come back, because people might donate, but they’re not interested in it because it makes them feel bad.’ (19.10)‘You want to make sure you’re telling the story that’s accurate, but you also recognise that they are working within confines. If you’re working with the government, there’s things that they can’t say and how do you tell the story accurately so that your own ethics are being met?’ (22.44)‘We are synced for stories, and we are synced for connection.’ (26.15)‘As a mother, I also feel like I’m more vulnerable to seeing things - in a good way. Like more emotionally attached whereas before I would have said my camera in front of my face is like a barrier.’ (27.30)On photographing a story about a child’s circumcision: ‘I sent a message and I said you really need to explain in a lot more detail to the family, even though they gave consent, about what this means.’ (29.20)‘I’ve been advocating for better consent forms where people can retract consent and understand their consent doesn’t mean anything about whether they’re going to get more or less services.’ (33.05)What does photo ethics mean to Tara?‘I mean to me it’s just humanity. You’re being allowed to take a picture of someone and their life, and that’s an honour, to be able to do that. And I think about that all the time, about the things I’ve been able to do and how amazing it’s been and how people let me into their homes with a camera. To me, it’s not photo ethics, it’s just how you want to be treated. That is just human.’  (39.35)Links: Portraits: I had an abortionEthicalstorytelling.comDignified Storytelling

In this episode, we talk with Tara Todras-Whitehill about becoming a storyteller. She shares how she first became a photographer, and the ethical situations she has found herself in since. Tara describes her current role training NGOs on how to tell stories powerfully and ethically, while explaining the different ethical contexts between journalism and NGO photography. She discusses the importance of going beyond a basic approach to consent, to ensure that the participant is well-informed. Tara also talks about how becoming a mother has altered the way she thinks and acts about photo ethics.What you’ll find inside: ‘I quit after four years because I wasn’t really getting what I wanted out of it and people thought I was crazy because I was quitting a staff job, and who quits a staff job? And I was like, but this wasn’t what I signed up for. So then I went back to doing more in depth storytelling for social impact.’ (10.18)‘NGOs vs journalism have very different decisions about what is correct for them.  I always take the journalist ethics to the organisations I’m working for, but you always have to figure out how to balance those things because they’re working in a different context.’ (14.18)‘If you do the down-trodden thing and like woe is me and whatever, they don’t come back, because people might donate, but they’re not interested in it because it makes them feel bad.’ (19.10)‘You want to make sure you’re telling the story that’s accurate, but you also recognise that they are working within confines. If you’re working with the government, there’s things that they can’t say and how do you tell the story accurately so that your own ethics are being met?’ (22.44)‘We are synced for stories, and we are synced for connection.’ (26.15)‘As a mother, I also feel like I’m more vulnerable to seeing things - in a good way. Like more emotionally attached whereas before I would have said my camera in front of my face is like a barrier.’ (27.30)On photographing a story about a child’s circumcision: ‘I sent a message and I said you really need to explain in a lot more detail to the family, even though they gave consent, about what this means.’ (29.20)‘I’ve been advocating for better consent forms where people can retract consent and understand their consent doesn’t mean anything about whether they’re going to get more or less services.’ (33.05)What does photo ethics mean to Tara?‘I mean to me it’s just humanity. You’re being allowed to take a picture of someone and their life, and that’s an honour, to be able to do that. And I think about that all the time, about the things I’ve been able to do and how amazing it’s been and how people let me into their homes with a camera. To me, it’s not photo ethics, it’s just how you want to be treated. That is just human.’  (39.35)Links: <a href="https://taratwphoto.com/portfolio/i-had-an-abortion/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Portraits: I had an abortion</a><a href="https://www.ethicalstorytelling.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ethicalstorytelling.com</a><a href="https://dignifiedstorytelling.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dignified Storytelling</a>

Tara Todras-Whitehill: On becoming a storyteller

In this episode, we talk with Michèle Pearson Clarke about vulnerability. She talks about the ethical considerations of presenting other people’s vulnerabilities within a gallery space and the responsibility she feels towards the communities she works with. She describes the process she took to be vulnerable herself in her self-portraits. As an artist and a teacher, Michèle explains the impact different mediums and methods of presentation can have. And as a photo laureate, she describes her ambition to build the public’s understanding of visual literacy as they create and engage with photographs everyday.What you’ll find inside: ‘Photographs are part of systems of power, photographs get used to communicate certain things, to hide certain things.’ (4.35)‘Ethics no longer just applies to professional photographers right? We’re all publishers, we’re all broadcasters, we’re all making and disseminating photographs now.’ (5.06)‘A lot of what we do is ego work as artists... It’s really okay to think that maybe your photograph is only going to do not that much in the world. Particularly when it comes to ethics, I think often there’s an overinflation of what we think our photographs will do or can do. And that often gets held up as justification for showing an image that people question.’ (8.10)‘Especially given the history of making black people’s pain a spectacle for consumption, what does it mean to, not just ask people to be vulnerable, but what does it mean to show that in a gallery? What does it mean to present and display black and queer vulnerability and pain in the gallery space?’ (12.25)On creating a website to aid informed consent: ‘For every project I build a project website that allows me a lot of space to be able to say who I am, why I’m making what I’m making, where it will show. I just put all the information I can about what I’m doing… so people can read that on their own time before deciding yes I would like to participate.’ (14.50)On her self portrait series: ‘I’ve been reflecting on what does it mean to be read as moving from a young black boy to being read as a black middle aged man? And for some people a black man is a very threatening thing.’ (25.35)‘The self portrait series is intentionally photographic because on the one hand when I’m out walking down the street I don’t want you staring at me, trying to figure out if I’m a man or a woman... but in the gallery I’ve intentionally decided, you can look as long as you want.’ (29.46)‘Audiences too have responsibilities, and I think it’s something that often galleries shy away from. I think it’s okay to ask the audience to do some work.’ (32.15)What does photo ethics mean to Michèle?‘I think photography ethics… it foregrounds to me that I see myself less as an individual with rights and more as part of a community to whom I have responsibilities. And so it is a way of working, and not just in the making of the photograph, everything. It is a way of addressing people in emails, it's a way of working with galleries, it's everything that I do. It's the way that I teach, how I treat my students, how I build my lesson plans. It’s foregrounding the responsibilities that I have as part of a community and thinking about… as I said, power is embedded in all of those positions I hold - artist, teacher, photo laureate - I hold a certain amount of power. So it means how do I leverage that power… I mean it’s hard because ethics always equates morals. And for me it's not so much about good and bad but it's about harm reduction almost. One of the things humans are really good at is we hurt each other. Sometimes intentionally, most times unintentionally. And so how do I make decisions? How do I set up processes that hopefully minimise harm as I pursue the things that I’m drawn to pursue.’  (41.50)Links: Quantum ChoirThe Animal Seems to Be Moving

In this episode, we talk with Michèle Pearson Clarke about vulnerability. She talks about the ethical considerations of presenting other people’s vulnerabilities within a gallery space and the responsibility she feels towards the communities she works with. She describes the process she took to be vulnerable herself in her self-portraits. As an artist and a teacher, Michèle explains the impact different mediums and methods of presentation can have. And as a photo laureate, she describes her ambition to build the public’s understanding of visual literacy as they create and engage with photographs everyday.What you’ll find inside: ‘Photographs are part of systems of power, photographs get used to communicate certain things, to hide certain things.’ (4.35)‘Ethics no longer just applies to professional photographers right? We’re all publishers, we’re all broadcasters, we’re all making and disseminating photographs now.’ (5.06)‘A lot of what we do is ego work as artists... It’s really okay to think that maybe your photograph is only going to do not that much in the world. Particularly when it comes to ethics, I think often there’s an overinflation of what we think our photographs will do or can do. And that often gets held up as justification for showing an image that people question.’ (8.10)‘Especially given the history of making black people’s pain a spectacle for consumption, what does it mean to, not just ask people to be vulnerable, but what does it mean to show that in a gallery? What does it mean to present and display black and queer vulnerability and pain in the gallery space?’ (12.25)On creating a website to aid informed consent: ‘For every project I build a project website that allows me a lot of space to be able to say who I am, why I’m making what I’m making, where it will show. I just put all the information I can about what I’m doing… so people can read that on their own time before deciding yes I would like to participate.’ (14.50)On her self portrait series: ‘I’ve been reflecting on what does it mean to be read as moving from a young black boy to being read as a black middle aged man? And for some people a black man is a very threatening thing.’ (25.35)‘The self portrait series is intentionally photographic because on the one hand when I’m out walking down the street I don’t want you staring at me, trying to figure out if I’m a man or a woman... but in the gallery I’ve intentionally decided, you can look as long as you want.’ (29.46)‘Audiences too have responsibilities, and I think it’s something that often galleries shy away from. I think it’s okay to ask the audience to do some work.’ (32.15)What does photo ethics mean to Michèle?‘I think photography ethics… it foregrounds to me that I see myself less as an individual with rights and more as part of a community to whom I have responsibilities. And so it is a way of working, and not just in the making of the photograph, everything. It is a way of addressing people in emails, it's a way of working with galleries, it's everything that I do. It's the way that I teach, how I treat my students, how I build my lesson plans. It’s foregrounding the responsibilities that I have as part of a community and thinking about… as I said, power is embedded in all of those positions I hold - artist, teacher, photo laureate - I hold a certain amount of power. So it means how do I leverage that power… I mean it’s hard because ethics always equates morals. And for me it's not so much about good and bad but it's about harm reduction almost. One of the things humans are really good at is we hurt each other. Sometimes intentionally, most times unintentionally. And so how do I make decisions? How do I set up processes that hopefully minimise harm as I pursue the things that I’m drawn to pursue.’  (41.50)Links: <a href="https://michelepearsonclarke.com/quantum-choir/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Quantum Choir</a><a href="https://michelepearsonclarke.com/the-animal/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Animal Seems to Be Moving</a>

Michèle Pearson Clarke: On Vulnerability

Laura Boushnak

In this episode, we talk with Laura Boushnak about questions of representation. Laura discusses the importance of being transparent and upfront with the people you are photographing, of earning their trust and respecting their decision to change their minds. She explores how social media is enabling people to tell their own stories and to choose how they are represented. Laura also explains how growing up in the Arab region has affected her opinion of representation in photography, and she questions the inequality of how different regions are depicted.  What you’ll find inside: ‘All these questions, no matter how many years of experience you have, I have always have these doubts and questions. Which I think is a good sign because it means I care.’ (2.44)‘I think the key to any story that photographers work on is to be transparent with the people you are approaching. Just share with them your intentions, show them what you’re working on, why you’re doing it, where it’s going to be published.’ (6.25)‘But now on social media, isn’t everything online? People are owning their own stories, you know, they are telling their own stories.’ (15.15)‘The question is not if they’re being published, it’s how? How they’re being represented. That’s I think also, women, what they fear, how they’re being represented.’ (16.00)‘It’s where I come from. I come from a region where it’s been misrepresented for years in the mainstream media. So it’s tiring when you see certain images reflect the whole region.’ (17.05)‘I’m not saying let's just work on positive stories. Of course, part of our job is to highlight and focus on problems. But it’s the way we make you feel sorry about the subjects. That I can’t stand.’ (21.00)‘When there is a suicide attack or an explosion in the Arab world, it’s okay to publish dead bodies. But have you seen a single photo coming out from Paris attacks?’ (23.27)‘Why is it okay to publish certain images from certain countries but not others?’ (23.58)What does photo ethics mean to Laura?‘They’re like the guidelines, you know, cause sometimes I am in the field and I’m tempted, you know like ugh this photo would have been fantastic if… but then you ask yourself these ethical questions that you shouldn’t cross. Also one time I took a really nice photo but then the person in the picture, they go like please don’t use that photo. And I was too tired to argue, I didn’t even bother. I said yeah it’s okay, I won’t use it. But when I was editing I was like oh that’s a really strong image, I wish I could use it. And then you think, could I use it? But then you think no I shouldn’t… but maybe the person won’t see it. And then you remind yourself, this is the internet. Everyone can see everything… You have to think it’s people’s interest above your own interests. At the end of the day, I have no right to go to people’s houses, take their pictures, share their personal private lives with the rest of the world. And I mean these people trusted you so at least show some respect to them.’ (28.10)Links: LGBTIQ in LebanonI Read, I WriteThree Syrian sisters in Germany

In this episode, we talk with Laura Boushnak about questions of representation. Laura discusses the importance of being transparent and upfront with the people you are photographing, of earning their trust and respecting their decision to change their minds. She explores how social media is enabling people to tell their own stories and to choose how they are represented. Laura also explains how growing up in the Arab region has affected her opinion of representation in photography, and she questions the inequality of how different regions are depicted.  What you’ll find inside: ‘All these questions, no matter how many years of experience you have, I have always have these doubts and questions. Which I think is a good sign because it means I care.’ (2.44)‘I think the key to any story that photographers work on is to be transparent with the people you are approaching. Just share with them your intentions, show them what you’re working on, why you’re doing it, where it’s going to be published.’ (6.25)‘But now on social media, isn’t everything online? People are owning their own stories, you know, they are telling their own stories.’ (15.15)‘The question is not if they’re being published, it’s how? How they’re being represented. That’s I think also, women, what they fear, how they’re being represented.’ (16.00)‘It’s where I come from. I come from a region where it’s been misrepresented for years in the mainstream media. So it’s tiring when you see certain images reflect the whole region.’ (17.05)‘I’m not saying let's just work on positive stories. Of course, part of our job is to highlight and focus on problems. But it’s the way we make you feel sorry about the subjects. That I can’t stand.’ (21.00)‘When there is a suicide attack or an explosion in the Arab world, it’s okay to publish dead bodies. But have you seen a single photo coming out from Paris attacks?’ (23.27)‘Why is it okay to publish certain images from certain countries but not others?’ (23.58)What does photo ethics mean to Laura?‘They’re like the guidelines, you know, cause sometimes I am in the field and I’m tempted, you know like ugh this photo would have been fantastic if… but then you ask yourself these ethical questions that you shouldn’t cross. Also one time I took a really nice photo but then the person in the picture, they go like please don’t use that photo. And I was too tired to argue, I didn’t even bother. I said yeah it’s okay, I won’t use it. But when I was editing I was like oh that’s a really strong image, I wish I could use it. And then you think, could I use it? But then you think no I shouldn’t… but maybe the person won’t see it. And then you remind yourself, this is the internet. Everyone can see everything… You have to think it’s people’s interest above your own interests. At the end of the day, I have no right to go to people’s houses, take their pictures, share their personal private lives with the rest of the world. And I mean these people trusted you so at least show some respect to them.’ (28.10)Links: <a href="https://www.lauraboushnakofficial.com/lgbtiq-in-lebanon" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LGBTIQ in Lebanon</a><a href="https://www.lauraboushnakofficial.com/i-read-i-write" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I Read, I Write</a><a href="https://www.lauraboushnakofficial.com/three-syrian-sisters-in-germany" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Three Syrian sisters in Germany</a>

Laura Boushnak: On questions of representation

Toby Smith

In this episode, we talk with Toby Smith about climate visuals. Toby explains what can make a photograph of climate change successful. He discusses ineffective old tropes, such as images of polar bears, to more effective photographs that allude to solutions or agency. Toby also describes the ethical considerations that went into setting up the Visualising Climate Change open call initiative, as well as the seven Climate Visuals principles.What you’ll find inside: ‘Sadly a lot of the photography out there around climate can be really illustrative but it’s not impactful, it’s not landing with any emotional resonance.’ (2.04)‘One of the nemesis’ of my line of work is actually the polar bear. It’s one of the images we associate most strongly with climate change but some of the research Climate Visuals does and social scientists and researchers and papers suggest that actually it’s become a really ineffective, worn out, metaphor for climate change.’ (2.47)‘How can we invite and give stage and presence to more participation? And that participation must be the kind of diverse voices and people that are often the frontline of climate.’ (6.27)‘We need to balance that type of newsfeed and that type of emotional connection with climate solutions and positive stories, especially ones that… we feel able to have agency.’ (9.23)‘Those principles should be something that should empower and give them extra resources in how they go about their practice but shouldn’t at all impinge or overrule the different values and ethics systems that they might operate with their community.’ (21.50)‘Anyone, of any age, anywhere in the world will be able to read an image and it’s integrity instantly. It’s a gut feeling.’ (23.06) ‘Imagery showing climate change causes at an individual level - two examples I like to use are someone enjoying a steak dinner or someone firing up their gas-guzzling V8 sports car - these can actually have the effect of being quite accusatory, or quite individually pointy at certain people or cultures. And it actually gains a kind of defensive reaction from people which doesn’t necessarily get the right traction. Whereas showing industrial agricultural feedlots or showing congested highways - people can see themselves in that image but they don’t feel defensive as to their role within it so it’s much more effective.’ (23.50)‘It’s really important we bust out of the green bubble. We need to think more about how we can engage with conservative audiences.’  (26.57)What does photo ethics mean to Toby?‘I think to me, photography ethics, I can’t narrow it down into a single part. To me the most important aspect, I feel personally, is around content production - partly because that is the foundation of where all photography comes from, is the lens in situation producing work. If the person holding that camera producing that work is engaging with their story and their subject matter with the right values and ethics then that’s a great start, and sadly that sense of control or ethics of value can’t always accompany an image as it floats off into it’s distribution networks. But I feel like that’s where we have to start, is the values and ethics of content production. And then maybe the other place to start is the value and ethics of content distribution, and somewhere in the middle there might be places in which we can exert some control for the right reasons.’ (37.50) Links: Climate VisualsClimate OutreachVisualising Climate Change open call initiative

In this episode, we talk with Toby Smith about climate visuals. Toby explains what can make a photograph of climate change successful. He discusses ineffective old tropes, such as images of polar bears, to more effective photographs that allude to solutions or agency. Toby also describes the ethical considerations that went into setting up the Visualising Climate Change open call initiative, as well as the seven Climate Visuals principles.What you’ll find inside: ‘Sadly a lot of the photography out there around climate can be really illustrative but it’s not impactful, it’s not landing with any emotional resonance.’ (2.04)‘One of the nemesis’ of my line of work is actually the polar bear. It’s one of the images we associate most strongly with climate change but some of the research Climate Visuals does and social scientists and researchers and papers suggest that actually it’s become a really ineffective, worn out, metaphor for climate change.’ (2.47)‘How can we invite and give stage and presence to more participation? And that participation must be the kind of diverse voices and people that are often the frontline of climate.’ (6.27)‘We need to balance that type of newsfeed and that type of emotional connection with climate solutions and positive stories, especially ones that… we feel able to have agency.’ (9.23)‘Those principles should be something that should empower and give them extra resources in how they go about their practice but shouldn’t at all impinge or overrule the different values and ethics systems that they might operate with their community.’ (21.50)‘Anyone, of any age, anywhere in the world will be able to read an image and it’s integrity instantly. It’s a gut feeling.’ (23.06) ‘Imagery showing climate change causes at an individual level - two examples I like to use are someone enjoying a steak dinner or someone firing up their gas-guzzling V8 sports car - these can actually have the effect of being quite accusatory, or quite individually pointy at certain people or cultures. And it actually gains a kind of defensive reaction from people which doesn’t necessarily get the right traction. Whereas showing industrial agricultural feedlots or showing congested highways - people can see themselves in that image but they don’t feel defensive as to their role within it so it’s much more effective.’ (23.50)‘It’s really important we bust out of the green bubble. We need to think more about how we can engage with conservative audiences.’  (26.57)What does photo ethics mean to Toby?‘I think to me, photography ethics, I can’t narrow it down into a single part. To me the most important aspect, I feel personally, is around content production - partly because that is the foundation of where all photography comes from, is the lens in situation producing work. If the person holding that camera producing that work is engaging with their story and their subject matter with the right values and ethics then that’s a great start, and sadly that sense of control or ethics of value can’t always accompany an image as it floats off into it’s distribution networks. But I feel like that’s where we have to start, is the values and ethics of content production. And then maybe the other place to start is the value and ethics of content distribution, and somewhere in the middle there might be places in which we can exert some control for the right reasons.’ (37.50) Links: <a href="https://climatevisuals.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Climate Visuals</a><a href="https://climateoutreach.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Climate Outreach</a><a href="https://climatevisuals.org/opencall/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Visualising Climate Change open call initiative</a>

Toby Smith: On climate visuals

This podcast is all about the ethics of photography. Each week we will hear from an accomplished photographer about what ethics means in their practice. We will talk about how these photographers have handled challenging situations, we will hear how their different experiences have shaped the way that they use their camera, and we will ask the big questions to find out why they photograph what they photograph. We will cover topics like consent, dignity, power, responsibility, impact, and collaboration. This podcast is hosted by Savannah Dodd, founder of the Photography Ethics Centre.

Alex Reynolds

In this episode, we talk with Alex Reynolds about taking a step back. Alex reflects on her own practise and how she first learnt to consider ethics within her work as a travel photographer. She explores the role that social media, this need to share online, and a culture of centring ourselves, plays within the ethics of travel photography. Alex also discusses how she handles the balance of being a tour guide while educating visitors on photo ethics.What you’ll find inside: ‘With time I started to realise that, I mean, people often just centre themselves and just kind of take other people and use them as props a lot in my industry, and just are trying to craft the visuals that we are expecting to see in a sales pitch about insert destination here.’ (4.05)‘It really was a matter of seeing that, recognising that, being extremely uncomfortable about the fact that I too am promoting these kinds of images. And then wondering, how do I not do that?’ (9.56)‘Sometimes you don’t have enough time in a situation to accurately portray it in your photography and then I think an important question that a lot of us photographers at any level need to be asking ourselves is are we then suitable to be representing this?’ (12.37)‘That’s something that a lot of people struggle with in our culture where everyone is constantly sharing everything all the time because that’s what you have to do. Sometimes we do have to step back and decide that, no, this is not appropriate.’ (17.21)‘A lot of people are interested to learn these things but they need more tangible examples to help them actually grasp visually what these suggestions are all about.’ (19.55)‘My business partner actually had a much better way of approaching it. She asked him, what is that camera lens for? It’s like really big. Like what are you shooting with that? What do you use that for? And he was like well people use it to shoot like wildlife and stuff like this. And she said, oh, so you think humans are just animals then?’ (23.55)‘But simultaneously it’s true that when you go to a place, you’re going to have a very shallow experience with it, you’re only going to see a certain set of things. And so it can be useful to have someone with that like novelty in their eye, come in and represent this place.’ (26.18)‘We’re all trying to get the Instagram shot, the beautiful girl in the beautiful location but like smack in the middle of the beautiful location and so you have all these people descending, and swarming, and trampling, and just taking over. Not so much to appreciate the beauty but more to have someone document them in the beauty. And so I think that if we kind of took our step back and reverted to actually looking at the things that we’re theoretically coming to appreciate then I think that would remove a lot of the damage.’ (34.35)What does photo ethics mean to Alex?‘Ethics for me is about making sure I’m not harming people and that can come in a variety of forms. Like perpetuating harmful negative stereotypes is one, putting people at risk of danger or otherwise is another, not exploiting people is a kind of harm, not destroying a location maybe like what we were talking about with revealing it to too many people could sometimes come into play. When I create an image, and I share that image, I would hope that it has a net positive effect on the world, and not just my own ego.’ (37.00)  Links: Lost with Purpose blogSacred Footsteps podcast

In this episode, we talk with Alex Reynolds about taking a step back. Alex reflects on her own practise and how she first learnt to consider ethics within her work as a travel photographer. She explores the role that social media, this need to share online, and a culture of centring ourselves, plays within the ethics of travel photography. Alex also discusses how she handles the balance of being a tour guide while educating visitors on photo ethics.What you’ll find inside: ‘With time I started to realise that, I mean, people often just centre themselves and just kind of take other people and use them as props a lot in my industry, and just are trying to craft the visuals that we are expecting to see in a sales pitch about insert destination here.’ (4.05)‘It really was a matter of seeing that, recognising that, being extremely uncomfortable about the fact that I too am promoting these kinds of images. And then wondering, how do I not do that?’ (9.56)‘Sometimes you don’t have enough time in a situation to accurately portray it in your photography and then I think an important question that a lot of us photographers at any level need to be asking ourselves is are we then suitable to be representing this?’ (12.37)‘That’s something that a lot of people struggle with in our culture where everyone is constantly sharing everything all the time because that’s what you have to do. Sometimes we do have to step back and decide that, no, this is not appropriate.’ (17.21)‘A lot of people are interested to learn these things but they need more tangible examples to help them actually grasp visually what these suggestions are all about.’ (19.55)‘My business partner actually had a much better way of approaching it. She asked him, what is that camera lens for? It’s like really big. Like what are you shooting with that? What do you use that for? And he was like well people use it to shoot like wildlife and stuff like this. And she said, oh, so you think humans are just animals then?’ (23.55)‘But simultaneously it’s true that when you go to a place, you’re going to have a very shallow experience with it, you’re only going to see a certain set of things. And so it can be useful to have someone with that like novelty in their eye, come in and represent this place.’ (26.18)‘We’re all trying to get the Instagram shot, the beautiful girl in the beautiful location but like smack in the middle of the beautiful location and so you have all these people descending, and swarming, and trampling, and just taking over. Not so much to appreciate the beauty but more to have someone document them in the beauty. And so I think that if we kind of took our step back and reverted to actually looking at the things that we’re theoretically coming to appreciate then I think that would remove a lot of the damage.’ (34.35)What does photo ethics mean to Alex?‘Ethics for me is about making sure I’m not harming people and that can come in a variety of forms. Like perpetuating harmful negative stereotypes is one, putting people at risk of danger or otherwise is another, not exploiting people is a kind of harm, not destroying a location maybe like what we were talking about with revealing it to too many people could sometimes come into play. When I create an image, and I share that image, I would hope that it has a net positive effect on the world, and not just my own ego.’ (37.00)  Links: <a href="https://www.lostwithpurpose.com/blog/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lost with Purpose blog</a><a href="https://www.sacredfootsteps.org/category/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sacred Footsteps podcast</a>

Alex Reynolds: On taking a step back

Christopher Jones

In this episode, we talk with Ryan Christopher Jones about positionality and power. Ryan discusses the connection between his identity and it’s influence on his photography, and how this ultimately gave him a more nuanced perspective as a photojournalist. He shares his personal experience of ensuring stories are ethically depicted - whether by taking the time to reshape a story, or by doing his own research to avoid confining the people photographed to negative stereotypes. Ryan also appeals for greater awareness and implementation  of photo ethics within the NFT community, as well as more accountability for the role that editors and publications play within photo ethics more broadly.What you’ll find inside:‘I get to Sunset Park I realised, oh, what actually am I doing here? What is my voice? What is my vision? Why am I the person to tell this story?’ (4.29)On taking a class with Davíd Carrasco: ‘Growing up I always felt like I was too white to be fully Mexican and too Mexican to be fully white. So I felt that I was not enough of either camp. And he had this amazing point. He said you actually have the capability of speaking from two centres now.’ (8.14)‘I think that coming from a place where both Mexico and the United States, it’s a known reality for me, I approached that story with a bit more of a nuance to push out the idea that like, okay well, America is clearly the utopia here and clearly Mexico is the place that needs to be escaped.’ (12.02)‘We had to have a big kind of broader like ideological reframing of the story, of this story is not really about housing. This story is about sacrifice. And in making a pivot like that, I think is a huge ethical consideration.’ (15.35)On preparing to photograph addiction: ‘The contact sheet of those Google searches are horrifying. They’re all photographed pretty similarly. They are… kind of in a single dimension of pain. And it shows that these people are visualised, that they can do almost nothing but exist in this space of suffering. So I looked at that, and I was like oh God, I don’t want to do that.’ (19.58)‘The NFT photo community really just likes talking about how great it is to have a community and that’s fine. But people aren’t really talking about the bigger issues of what happens when you make that kind of money on someone’s face, and that person had no say in it’s production.’ (29.48)‘Ethics is a localised thing, but it’s also a much more institutionalised thing that I think needs to be talked about too. There was a breakdown of ethical story production throughout the pandemic, and it happened both from photographers, editors, and institutions.’ (34.15)‘It was my job for three weeks to follow these priests and basically wait for people to die. And it put me in such an existential funk, because that’s not the place anyone should be in to tell a story.’ (36.11)What does photo ethics mean to Ryan?‘Identifying your position of power - the position of power that you have with your camera, with the people who are being photographed. You know, and that can be extrapolated to how are you extending power in the way that you edit? How are you extending your power in the way that you publish?’ (41.33)Links:The Very Busy Life of an Immigrants Rights Priest in 2018Harvard extension classesThe American Mosaic Journalism awardMary Ellen MarkUnderground Lives: The Sunless World of Immigrants in Queens How Photography Exploits the VulnerableThe Bronx’s Quiet, Brutal War with Opioids The Last Anointing

In this episode, we talk with Ryan Christopher Jones about positionality and power. Ryan discusses the connection between his identity and it’s influence on his photography, and how this ultimately gave him a more nuanced perspective as a photojournalist. He shares his personal experience of ensuring stories are ethically depicted - whether by taking the time to reshape a story, or by doing his own research to avoid confining the people photographed to negative stereotypes. Ryan also appeals for greater awareness and implementation  of photo ethics within the NFT community, as well as more accountability for the role that editors and publications play within photo ethics more broadly.What you’ll find inside:‘I get to Sunset Park I realised, oh, what actually am I doing here? What is my voice? What is my vision? Why am I the person to tell this story?’ (4.29)On taking a class with Davíd Carrasco: ‘Growing up I always felt like I was too white to be fully Mexican and too Mexican to be fully white. So I felt that I was not enough of either camp. And he had this amazing point. He said you actually have the capability of speaking from two centres now.’ (8.14)‘I think that coming from a place where both Mexico and the United States, it’s a known reality for me, I approached that story with a bit more of a nuance to push out the idea that like, okay well, America is clearly the utopia here and clearly Mexico is the place that needs to be escaped.’ (12.02)‘We had to have a big kind of broader like ideological reframing of the story, of this story is not really about housing. This story is about sacrifice. And in making a pivot like that, I think is a huge ethical consideration.’ (15.35)On preparing to photograph addiction: ‘The contact sheet of those Google searches are horrifying. They’re all photographed pretty similarly. They are… kind of in a single dimension of pain. And it shows that these people are visualised, that they can do almost nothing but exist in this space of suffering. So I looked at that, and I was like oh God, I don’t want to do that.’ (19.58)‘The NFT photo community really just likes talking about how great it is to have a community and that’s fine. But people aren’t really talking about the bigger issues of what happens when you make that kind of money on someone’s face, and that person had no say in it’s production.’ (29.48)‘Ethics is a localised thing, but it’s also a much more institutionalised thing that I think needs to be talked about too. There was a breakdown of ethical story production throughout the pandemic, and it happened both from photographers, editors, and institutions.’ (34.15)‘It was my job for three weeks to follow these priests and basically wait for people to die. And it put me in such an existential funk, because that’s not the place anyone should be in to tell a story.’ (36.11)What does photo ethics mean to Ryan?‘Identifying your position of power - the position of power that you have with your camera, with the people who are being photographed. You know, and that can be extrapolated to how are you extending power in the way that you edit? How are you extending your power in the way that you publish?’ (41.33)Links:<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/08/nyregion/the-very-busy-life-of-an-immigrants-rights-priest-in-2018.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Very Busy Life of an Immigrants Rights Priest in 2018</a><a href="https://extension.harvard.edu/academics/programs/take-a-course/#courses" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Harvard extension classes</a><a href="https://www.hsfoundation.org/prize/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The American Mosaic Journalism award</a><a href="https://www.maryellenmark.com/bio-resume" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mary Ellen Mark</a><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/10/23/nyregion/basements-queens-immigrants.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Underground Lives: The Sunless World of Immigrants in Queens</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/31/opinion/photography-exploitation-opioid.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How Photography Exploits the Vulnerable</a><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/12/nyregion/bronx-heroin-fentanyl-opioid-overdoses.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Bronx’s Quiet, Brutal War with Opioids</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/06/us/coronavirus-priests-last-rites.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Last Anointing</a>

Ryan Christopher Jones: On positionality and power 

In this episode, we talk with Hannah Fletcher about how to develop a more sustainable photographic practice. She discusses the issue of sustainability within analogue and digital processes. Hannah explains the need she identified for a wider conversation around sustainability within photography and how this led her to found The Sustainable Darkroom. She explains her relationship with science and why it is so important for photographers to consider themselves within the broader ecosystem of photography and all the industries photography is connected to.What you’ll find inside: “I suddenly just thought, what if actually some of these plants could absorb the silver from waste photographic fixer and use it in a positive way? Like actually what if there’s something more going on here that I could explore and somehow create more of a holistic ecosystem within photography?” (4:18) Hannah discusses the main issues of sustainability within analogue photography , including: the amount and type of water used, the use of bovine gelatine, waste chemistry disposal, and the use of plastic. (7:18) Hannah discusses the main issues of sustainability within digital photography, including:  the ethics of your camera’s manufacturer, the mining of minerals and materials for your camera, disposal of your old camera, and the storage of digital photographs. (12:27) “In 2019 I founded an initiative called The Sustainable Darkroom which is basically a kind of platform and research and learning initiative to support other practitioners in finding their own more environmentally friendly approach to working with analogue photography.” (16:26) “I knew that I needed collective knowledge and the help of scientists and experts, which is why I kind of thought I need to make something that is going to bring together lots of people to really work in this way of activism and community resilience. Because I really believe that these forms of actions are some of the most powerful ways that we can move forward in society.” (18:51) “I think we need to be open to possibilities for new understandings and new visual languages within our photography because that’s the only way that we can really move forward.” (23:40) “None of these ideas that I’m putting forward are solutions to working completely environmentally friendly. None of them are perfect. None of them are solutions yet. But I believe that just making an informed decision, knowing what materials you’re using, where it came from, why you’re using it, why it makes sense for your practise, being able to justify it. I believe that this is one of the most powerful things that we can do as a society is to inform ourselves, and make conscious decisions.” (26:06) “If we are thinking about the whole ecosystem of photography, it relies on so many other industries to exist. And I think we need to not think of ourselves as an individual photographer existing on our own.” (30:12) Hannah explains her relationship and approach to science (32:00) What does photo ethics mean to Hannah? “I think ethics encompasses everything that we do. And I don’t think it should be thought of as something separate from photography, you know, it should just be completely intertwined in a way. And ethics isn’t this thing which kind of sits, you know, on a podium over there. It’s like within everything. It’s within the ecosystem. It’s within, you know, the camera that you’re holding, and it’s within the scene that you’re photographing, and it’s within the chemistries that you’re developing in. And I think it’s just really about having a complete awareness of how those materials came to be and your relationship with them and a consciousness of that. That you have kind of like done your research, if you like, and you can justify why you’re using that camera and why you’re taking the image you can... I think if we’re more conscious beings then we don’t have to think about it so much because it will always be there within the way that we work and the way we approach our practise and our kind of just wider lifestyle.” (35:18) Links The Sustainable DarkroomLondon Alternative Photography CollectiveThe Ecology of Grain by Edward Maughan-CarrFilm WashiDigital Cameras Guide by Ethical Consumer Magazine

In this episode, we talk with Hannah Fletcher about how to develop a more sustainable photographic practice. She discusses the issue of sustainability within analogue and digital processes. Hannah explains the need she identified for a wider conversation around sustainability within photography and how this led her to found The Sustainable Darkroom. She explains her relationship with science and why it is so important for photographers to consider themselves within the broader ecosystem of photography and all the industries photography is connected to.What you’ll find inside: “I suddenly just thought, what if actually some of these plants could absorb the silver from waste photographic fixer and use it in a positive way? Like actually what if there’s something more going on here that I could explore and somehow create more of a holistic ecosystem within photography?” (4:18) Hannah discusses the main issues of sustainability within analogue photography , including: the amount and type of water used, the use of bovine gelatine, waste chemistry disposal, and the use of plastic. (7:18) Hannah discusses the main issues of sustainability within digital photography, including: the ethics of your camera’s manufacturer, the mining of minerals and materials for your camera, disposal of your old camera, and the storage of digital photographs. (12:27) “In 2019 I founded an initiative called The Sustainable Darkroom which is basically a kind of platform and research and learning initiative to support other practitioners in finding their own more environmentally friendly approach to working with analogue photography.” (16:26) “I knew that I needed collective knowledge and the help of scientists and experts, which is why I kind of thought I need to make something that is going to bring together lots of people to really work in this way of activism and community resilience. Because I really believe that these forms of actions are some of the most powerful ways that we can move forward in society.” (18:51) “I think we need to be open to possibilities for new understandings and new visual languages within our photography because that’s the only way that we can really move forward.” (23:40) “None of these ideas that I’m putting forward are solutions to working completely environmentally friendly. None of them are perfect. None of them are solutions yet. But I believe that just making an informed decision, knowing what materials you’re using, where it came from, why you’re using it, why it makes sense for your practise, being able to justify it. I believe that this is one of the most powerful things that we can do as a society is to inform ourselves, and make conscious decisions.” (26:06) “If we are thinking about the whole ecosystem of photography, it relies on so many other industries to exist. And I think we need to not think of ourselves as an individual photographer existing on our own.” (30:12) Hannah explains her relationship and approach to science (32:00) What does photo ethics mean to Hannah? “I think ethics encompasses everything that we do. And I don’t think it should be thought of as something separate from photography, you know, it should just be completely intertwined in a way. And ethics isn’t this thing which kind of sits, you know, on a podium over there. It’s like within everything. It’s within the ecosystem. It’s within, you know, the camera that you’re holding, and it’s within the scene that you’re photographing, and it’s within the chemistries that you’re developing in. And I think it’s just really about having a complete awareness of how those materials came to be and your relationship with them and a consciousness of that. That you have kind of like done your research, if you like, and you can justify why you’re using that camera and why you’re taking the image you can... I think if we’re more conscious beings then we don’t have to think about it so much because it will always be there within the way that we work and the way we approach our practise and our kind of just wider lifestyle.” (35:18) Links <a href="https://www.hannahfletcher.com/the-sustainable-darkroom/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Sustainable Darkroom</a><a href="http://www.londonaltphoto.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">London Alternative Photography Collective</a><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341515258_The_Ecology_of_Grain_An_Ecological_Analysis_of_Gelatin_in_Photographic_Film" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Ecology of Grain by Edward Maughan-Carr</a><a href="http://filmwashi.com/en/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Film Washi</a><a href="https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/technology/shopping-guide/digital-cameras" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Digital Cameras Guide by Ethical Consumer Magazine</a>

Hannah Fletcher: On working sustainably

In this episode, we talk with Tamara Abdul Hadi about what we have seen. She discusses how she develops relationships with marginalised people, and the importance of having the right intentions as a photographer. Tamara recounts some of her personal experiences with photography ethics, and how they have altered her perspective. She highlights the need to have a critical eye when it comes to the historic photographic narrative of Iraq, of who is choosing the photographs and why. Beyond this, Tamara talks about what photography means to her and passes on some advice for young photographers. What you’ll find inside: “As an Arab documentary photographer, what I really love to do, and what really drives my work, is getting to know people, getting to know subcultures. Getting to know specifically those marginalised within my own community. And what I do with my work is I create opportunities to interact with and learn from these groups, which are often subjected to stereotyping and misrepresentation.” (2:23) On a moment in Palestine that altered Tamara’s perspective on photography ethics (7:00) “Ok, now I can really try to think about why I am taking photos, and what I’m trying to say through the photos. And how actually I can represent people. It’s not like I’m taking away their power by representing them. You know, you can amplify voices through photography. You can do the opposite of that, right? You can do the opposite of taking away power.” (13:54) “There’s a lot to unpack and a lot to think about in terms of these sort of repeating visual regimes that keep repeating themselves and we ingest them, but it’s because we are used to seeing them. … How does Iraq fit into photographic history? And what have we been used to seeing in terms of the visual regime of Iraq? And what have we been taking in visually about the country?” (18:29)“I think we need to open up and think about how certain places are being represented, and if we feel like we can add to that, then that’s what we should do.” (23:27)On the cover image of the Latif al-Ani book: “The cover of the book is basically a photograph in Iraq in an area called Taq Kasra, which is like a historical Iraqi ruin. And it’s basically a photo of an older Iraqi man sitting on the floor playing with an instrument called the rebaba. And standing over him are two people, a couple, and the caption of the photo is ‘US couple, or American couple, at Taq Kasra.’ … It’s like, who decides, like why is this photo the one that’s supposedly the representative photo of all the photos in that archive and in his book?” (28:19) Advice for young photographers: “To connect with people that were like-minded, to have conversations with other people that seemed to be doing similar things to me or thinking similarly.” (34:14)“It’s also important for people to ask themselves, like try to figure out why you want to be a photographer. If it’s just because you want your photos in the magazine, you should consider other reasons why you might want to be a photographer. … For me, I realised that I’m doing this because it’s what keeps me going. It inspires me. It makes me feel like it’s a part of who I am. … And then on a wider level, I continue doing work because I hope that the work I do can be part of a conversation. That it can enter conversations with other people who could be doing work with a similar intention.” (35:21)What does photo ethics mean to Tamara? “Photography ethics means everything to me, I think. It means that I have to think before I photograph. It means that I have to be sensitive when I’m photographing. It’s very, very multilayered and it’s extremely important to think about and should be spoken about more.” (38:30) Links: We are the MediumRawiya CollectiveBarber Shops in Palestine and LebanonReturn to the Marshes by Gavin Young and Nick WheelerWilfried ThesigerLatif al-AniArab Image Foundation

In this episode, we talk with Tamara Abdul Hadi about what we have seen. She discusses how she develops relationships with marginalised people, and the importance of having the right intentions as a photographer. Tamara recounts some of her personal experiences with photography ethics, and how they have altered her perspective. She highlights the need to have a critical eye when it comes to the historic photographic narrative of Iraq, of who is choosing the photographs and why. Beyond this, Tamara talks about what photography means to her and passes on some advice for young photographers. What you’ll find inside: “As an Arab documentary photographer, what I really love to do, and what really drives my work, is getting to know people, getting to know subcultures. Getting to know specifically those marginalised within my own community. And what I do with my work is I create opportunities to interact with and learn from these groups, which are often subjected to stereotyping and misrepresentation.” (2:23) On a moment in Palestine that altered Tamara’s perspective on photography ethics (7:00) “Ok, now I can really try to think about why I am taking photos, and what I’m trying to say through the photos. And how actually I can represent people. It’s not like I’m taking away their power by representing them. You know, you can amplify voices through photography. You can do the opposite of that, right? You can do the opposite of taking away power.” (13:54) “There’s a lot to unpack and a lot to think about in terms of these sort of repeating visual regimes that keep repeating themselves and we ingest them, but it’s because we are used to seeing them. … How does Iraq fit into photographic history? And what have we been used to seeing in terms of the visual regime of Iraq? And what have we been taking in visually about the country?” (18:29)“I think we need to open up and think about how certain places are being represented, and if we feel like we can add to that, then that’s what we should do.” (23:27)On the cover image of the Latif al-Ani book: “The cover of the book is basically a photograph in Iraq in an area called Taq Kasra, which is like a historical Iraqi ruin. And it’s basically a photo of an older Iraqi man sitting on the floor playing with an instrument called the rebaba. And standing over him are two people, a couple, and the caption of the photo is ‘US couple, or American couple, at Taq Kasra.’ … It’s like, who decides, like why is this photo the one that’s supposedly the representative photo of all the photos in that archive and in his book?” (28:19) Advice for young photographers: “To connect with people that were like-minded, to have conversations with other people that seemed to be doing similar things to me or thinking similarly.” (34:14)“It’s also important for people to ask themselves, like try to figure out why you want to be a photographer. If it’s just because you want your photos in the magazine, you should consider other reasons why you might want to be a photographer. … For me, I realised that I’m doing this because it’s what keeps me going. It inspires me. It makes me feel like it’s a part of who I am. … And then on a wider level, I continue doing work because I hope that the work I do can be part of a conversation. That it can enter conversations with other people who could be doing work with a similar intention.” (35:21)What does photo ethics mean to Tamara? “Photography ethics means everything to me, I think. It means that I have to think before I photograph. It means that I have to be sensitive when I’m photographing. It’s very, very multilayered and it’s extremely important to think about and should be spoken about more.” (38:30) Links: <a href="http://www.wearethemedium.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">We are the Medium</a><a href="https://awarewomenartists.com/en/magazine/decoloniser-la-photographie-documentaire-le-collectif-rawiya-en-palestine/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rawiya Collective</a><a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7eykn/tamara-adbul-hadi-barbershop-photos-new-visions" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Barber Shops in Palestine and Lebanon</a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2337542.Return_To_The_Marshes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Return to the Marshes by Gavin Young and Nick Wheeler</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfred_Thesiger" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wilfried Thesiger</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latif_al-Ani" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Latif al-Ani</a><a href="http://arabimagefoundation.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Arab Image Foundation</a>

Tamara Abdul Hadi: On what we have seen

Aaron Turner

In this episode, we talk with Aaron Turner about the place of identity in abstract photography and art. He discusses the inspiration behind his photographic projects, and why he chose to pursue abstraction as a medium of expression. Aaron shares the reasoning behind his decision to document his family and local community, while noting the issues that need to be considered when doing so. Aaron also talks about the experience of Black photographers following the death of George Floyd and emphasises the need to readdress the mainstream narrative of photographic history and its exclusion of Black photographers. What you’ll find inside: On abstract artists who were connected to the Black Arts Movement: “On one side of their practise they were deemed, by their fellow Black artists, as not contributing to the cause. Again, because their work was kind of in that realm of geometric abstraction and so you don’t see moments of, what we call now, Black joy. ... We are not painting an image, or depicting an image of Black dignity. You’re painting triangles and squares and circles.” (7:10) “What the perception could be is that they’re trying to pass as a white artist. But if you really look into their work, and the symbols and the choices that people use in their work. Like Howardena Pindell, for example, and why she used the circle. I encourage everyone to look that up, it’s pretty fascinating. It comes from a place of her identity and her childhood. She’s not an artist trying to pass for white.” (12:18) “The feedback that I got about documenting my own community and documenting my family was that it was not serious journalism, it was not serious work, right? It wasn’t taken seriously... until you have a person like a Latoya Ruby Frazier, at least for me as an individual, I see myself in her, right? In terms of having like the wherewithal and the bravery to sort of do those things.” (16:28) “Now, I know this is probably true for a lot of photographers after what happened with George Floyd in Minnesota, and how people sorta had this - I don’t even know what you would call it because there are so many things that have happened since - but now all of a sudden Black photographers are sought after globally. To sort of go into communities and make the work when people have been trying to say you should have been sending us there in the first place all these other years ago.” (26:31) “Just because I’m Black, doesn’t mean I get all the rights and privileges of going into a Black community and documenting. I still have to do my job as a journalist, I still have to gain people’s trust. I still have to be ethical up to my standards. You know, that’s what I have to do with my family. Like I don’t get to just raise the camera up to my family, right? They have to get comfortable with me doing those things.” (36:09) “Go back in history and ask: why are things the way they are?” (40:12) “Self-publish, get the work out there yourself, don’t wait for a big publication to add authenticity to it, don’t wait for someone else to deem it valuable. Find value in it yourself.” (46:17)“I think as photographers we have to move beyond what some people describe as photoland or the photo world. Because other things are happening around us and we have to be aware of those things to be more effective at what it is that we do.” (47:05)What does photo ethics mean to Aaron?“Do unto others as you would have them done unto you. That’s a principle I was raised with and still live by to this day. It’s not always easy to do that. It’s not just as simple as saying that it’s a different world when you act out and live that. ... I think being ethical is practising empathy, in the various ways that it’s possible to do that. Put ourselves in other people’s shoes but also I think self-awareness in all interactions with people. Like being aware of the role that you play or different power dynamics or what you’re trying to accomplish by interacting with people. When you make an image of someone, what you’re taking, what they’re giving. When someone allows in their space, to spend time with them, you know, what they’re giving up, what you’re giving up, what they’re taking, what you’re taking. Maybe also like selflessness. Going into something, figuring out how it can benefit someone other than ourselves. I think that can go a long way. And so I think that also ties into, you know, why are we picking up the camera in the first place? Would we do it if we weren’t paid for it? You know, how everyone kind of comes to that way of thinking, or that understanding for themselves based on their life and decisions. So that’s what ethics is for me.” (43:07)Links:The Center for Photographers of Color Yesterday Once More Black AlchemyThe Black Arts Movement Frank BowlingHowardena PindellPassing by Nella Larsen The Imitation of LifeLatoya Ruby FrazierMatt EichReflections in Black by Deborah WillisEugene RichardsDorothea LangeGordon ParksRoy DeCaravaKerry James Marshall

In this episode, we talk with Aaron Turner about the place of identity in abstract photography and art. He discusses the inspiration behind his photographic projects, and why he chose to pursue abstraction as a medium of expression. Aaron shares the reasoning behind his decision to document his family and local community, while noting the issues that need to be considered when doing so. Aaron also talks about the experience of Black photographers following the death of George Floyd and emphasises the need to readdress the mainstream narrative of photographic history and its exclusion of Black photographers. What you’ll find inside: On abstract artists who were connected to the Black Arts Movement: “On one side of their practise they were deemed, by their fellow Black artists, as not contributing to the cause. Again, because their work was kind of in that realm of geometric abstraction and so you don’t see moments of, what we call now, Black joy. ... We are not painting an image, or depicting an image of Black dignity. You’re painting triangles and squares and circles.” (7:10) “What the perception could be is that they’re trying to pass as a white artist. But if you really look into their work, and the symbols and the choices that people use in their work. Like Howardena Pindell, for example, and why she used the circle. I encourage everyone to look that up, it’s pretty fascinating. It comes from a place of her identity and her childhood. She’s not an artist trying to pass for white.” (12:18) “The feedback that I got about documenting my own community and documenting my family was that it was not serious journalism, it was not serious work, right? It wasn’t taken seriously... until you have a person like a Latoya Ruby Frazier, at least for me as an individual, I see myself in her, right? In terms of having like the wherewithal and the bravery to sort of do those things.” (16:28) “Now, I know this is probably true for a lot of photographers after what happened with George Floyd in Minnesota, and how people sorta had this - I don’t even know what you would call it because there are so many things that have happened since - but now all of a sudden Black photographers are sought after globally. To sort of go into communities and make the work when people have been trying to say you should have been sending us there in the first place all these other years ago.” (26:31) “Just because I’m Black, doesn’t mean I get all the rights and privileges of going into a Black community and documenting. I still have to do my job as a journalist, I still have to gain people’s trust. I still have to be ethical up to my standards. You know, that’s what I have to do with my family. Like I don’t get to just raise the camera up to my family, right? They have to get comfortable with me doing those things.” (36:09) “Go back in history and ask: why are things the way they are?” (40:12) “Self-publish, get the work out there yourself, don’t wait for a big publication to add authenticity to it, don’t wait for someone else to deem it valuable. Find value in it yourself.” (46:17)“I think as photographers we have to move beyond what some people describe as photoland or the photo world. Because other things are happening around us and we have to be aware of those things to be more effective at what it is that we do.” (47:05)What does photo ethics mean to Aaron?“Do unto others as you would have them done unto you. That’s a principle I was raised with and still live by to this day. It’s not always easy to do that. It’s not just as simple as saying that it’s a different world when you act out and live that. ... I think being ethical is practising empathy, in the various ways that it’s possible to do that. Put ourselves in other people’s shoes but also I think self-awareness in all interactions with people. Like being aware of the role that you play or different power dynamics or what you’re trying to accomplish by interacting with people. When you make an image of someone, what you’re taking, what they’re giving. When someone allows in their space, to spend time with them, you know, what they’re giving up, what you’re giving up, what they’re taking, what you’re taking. Maybe also like selflessness. Going into something, figuring out how it can benefit someone other than ourselves. I think that can go a long way. And so I think that also ties into, you know, why are we picking up the camera in the first place? Would we do it if we weren’t paid for it? You know, how everyone kind of comes to that way of thinking, or that understanding for themselves based on their life and decisions. So that’s what ethics is for me.” (43:07)Links:<a href="https://www.photographersofcolor.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Center for Photographers of Color </a><a href="https://www.aaronturner.studio/yesterday-once-more" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Yesterday Once More </a><a href="https://www.aaronturner.studio/3091707-black-alchemy-vol-1-2013-2016" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Black Alchemy</a><a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/b/black-arts-movement" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Black Arts Movement </a><a href="https://frankbowling.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Frank Bowling</a><a href="https://www.howardenapindell.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Howardena Pindell</a><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/passing/nella-larsen/9780142437278" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Passing by Nella Larsen</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imitation_of_Life_(1934_film)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Imitation of Life</a><a href="https://latoyarubyfrazier.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Latoya Ruby Frazier</a><a href="https://www.matteichphoto.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Matt Eich</a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1844195.Reflections_in_Black" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Reflections in Black by Deborah Willis</a><a href="https://eugenerichards.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Eugene Richards</a><a href="https://www.moma.org/artists/3373" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dorothea Lange</a><a href="https://www.gordonparksfoundation.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gordon Parks</a><a href="https://www.moma.org/artists/1422" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Roy DeCarava</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerry_James_Marshall" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kerry James Marshall</a>

Aaron Turner: On abstraction and identity

In this episode, we talk with Mallika Vora about the necessity of complicating narratives in photography, and providing a more nuanced understanding of events. She also addresses the issue of objectivity within the photojournalism industry, and the need to be transparent with the viewers about why you’re making the pictures you’re making. Mallika emphasizes prioritising the person you are photographing. She believes a photographer should foster a relationship of trust and mutual vulnerability, while understanding who the photograph really belongs to. What you’ll find inside: “Trust is established not when the picture’s being taken, but in between the moments that the picture is being taken. And I really value that. And to also display some vulnerability and some willingness to share of yourself in the moment that someone else is, I think is really, really important. And you can’t really do that when you’re also trying to take the picture. Sometimes it takes putting the camera down, looking someone in the eye, and telling them something really personal. That’s a part of being human. That’s a part of letting someone know you’re right there with them, and you feel what they feel. And you, too, know what pain feels like, or you, too, know what it means to be vulnerable. And then in those moments that trust is built, and then after those moments, then the photos happen.” (10:20) “It also made a difference that the editor was on the same page as the both of us as well. And what was established at the very, very beginning was, by the editor themselves, was: I know you know this already but I need to say this. The safety of the subjects is the most important, their dignity is the most important, their comfort is the most important. The pictures will come but if you focus on that as being the priority in our process, then the pictures themselves will be what they need to be, and will say what they need to say.” (14:43) “When I say that I seek to complicate narratives, I want to kind of break past any assumptions that a person looking at the photograph might have about the person in the photograph.” (16:26) “I think the job of the artist or the journalist or the visual storyteller is to critique power. So I think complicating a narrative is complicating a narrative that has been handed to us by power that we then have to subvert in order to start creating change in society.” (17:06) “In protest photography, I think it is much more useful when presenting that story, for people to know that I’m a sympathetic journalist in that place. Like I’m documenting these feminist protests because I’m also a feminist and I support what they’re doing. And I think that that honesty is absolutely necessary... one, to understand the pictures themselves and, two, to understand the context I’m creating for them.” (23:37) “In regards to transparency with subjects, I mean, it’s not fair if they don’t know where the picture is going, why you’re taking the picture, who you are when you’re taking this picture, because their image ultimately belongs to them.” (24:10) “It would be lying to say that there isn’t sometimes a voice in my head that would be like ‘this would be a really iconic, like famous photo’ because it’s really intense, and x, y, and z. And I think a lot of photographers have that voice, and I think that voice is often trying to convince you to do something unethical.” (31:41) “Focus on all the moments, not just the darkest ones.” (33:15)What does photo ethics mean to Mallika? “Ethics is where a bunch of really cool things come together. Those really cool things being transparency, safety, consent, context, and kind of removing yourself from authorship in a certain way as well. Like I think that the biggest challenge, especially the way the media landscape is structured, is claiming ownership over images and who has ownership and basically this problem of property, right? But when you really think about it, the person in the picture... it’s their picture. It’s not your picture, it’s their picture that they allowed to happen. And so I think acknowledging that, and I think moving in a way that honours that is a way to truly move in a way that is ethical.” (34:30) Links Diversify PhotoWomen PhotographSearching with the Mothers of Mexico's Disappeared - The New Yorker 

In this episode, we talk with Mallika Vora about the necessity of complicating narratives in photography, and providing a more nuanced understanding of events. She also addresses the issue of objectivity within the photojournalism industry, and the need to be transparent with the viewers about why you’re making the pictures you’re making. Mallika emphasizes prioritising the person you are photographing. She believes a photographer should foster a relationship of trust and mutual vulnerability, while understanding who the photograph really belongs to. What you’ll find inside: “Trust is established not when the picture’s being taken, but in between the moments that the picture is being taken. And I really value that. And to also display some vulnerability and some willingness to share of yourself in the moment that someone else is, I think is really, really important. And you can’t really do that when you’re also trying to take the picture. Sometimes it takes putting the camera down, looking someone in the eye, and telling them something really personal. That’s a part of being human. That’s a part of letting someone know you’re right there with them, and you feel what they feel. And you, too, know what pain feels like, or you, too, know what it means to be vulnerable. And then in those moments that trust is built, and then after those moments, then the photos happen.” (10:20) “It also made a difference that the editor was on the same page as the both of us as well. And what was established at the very, very beginning was, by the editor themselves, was: I know you know this already but I need to say this. The safety of the subjects is the most important, their dignity is the most important, their comfort is the most important. The pictures will come but if you focus on that as being the priority in our process, then the pictures themselves will be what they need to be, and will say what they need to say.” (14:43) “When I say that I seek to complicate narratives, I want to kind of break past any assumptions that a person looking at the photograph might have about the person in the photograph.” (16:26) “I think the job of the artist or the journalist or the visual storyteller is to critique power. So I think complicating a narrative is complicating a narrative that has been handed to us by power that we then have to subvert in order to start creating change in society.” (17:06) “In protest photography, I think it is much more useful when presenting that story, for people to know that I’m a sympathetic journalist in that place. Like I’m documenting these feminist protests because I’m also a feminist and I support what they’re doing. And I think that that honesty is absolutely necessary... one, to understand the pictures themselves and, two, to understand the context I’m creating for them.” (23:37) “In regards to transparency with subjects, I mean, it’s not fair if they don’t know where the picture is going, why you’re taking the picture, who you are when you’re taking this picture, because their image ultimately belongs to them.” (24:10) “It would be lying to say that there isn’t sometimes a voice in my head that would be like ‘this would be a really iconic, like famous photo’ because it’s really intense, and x, y, and z. And I think a lot of photographers have that voice, and I think that voice is often trying to convince you to do something unethical.” (31:41) “Focus on all the moments, not just the darkest ones.” (33:15)What does photo ethics mean to Mallika? “Ethics is where a bunch of really cool things come together. Those really cool things being transparency, safety, consent, context, and kind of removing yourself from authorship in a certain way as well. Like I think that the biggest challenge, especially the way the media landscape is structured, is claiming ownership over images and who has ownership and basically this problem of property, right? But when you really think about it, the person in the picture... it’s their picture. It’s not your picture, it’s their picture that they allowed to happen. And so I think acknowledging that, and I think moving in a way that honours that is a way to truly move in a way that is ethical.” (34:30) Links <a href="https://diversify.photo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Diversify Photo</a><a href="https://womenphotograph.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Women Photograph</a><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/searching-with-the-mothers-of-mexicos-disappeared" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Searching with the Mothers of Mexico's Disappeared - The New Yorker </a>

Mallika Vora: On complicating human narratives

Polly Irungu

In this episode, we talk with Polly Irungu on working intentionally. Polly reflects on her experiences growing up and going to university which led her to found the community Black Women Photographers. She describes how intentionality is central to everything she does - from her work as a photographer, to her work with radio news, and then to her work with Black Women Photographers. What you’ll find inside: “Photography was that creative tool, that creative outlet for me when I was in a really bad place and helped me find my voice again.” (9:09)“When you’re a self-taught photographer, you’re not taking a class classed ‘Ethics 101.’ You’re not learning about the things that typically or whatever is considered standard that’s ethically wrong – you’re not learning that as a self-taught photographer. And then, depending on what journalism school you go to, you may not even learn there either. I mean, you’ll learn like ethics within journalism, but how does that translate into the world of photography?” (10:40)“I want to leave this industry better than I found it.” (13:04)About the inception of Black Women Photographers (14:43)“What am I doing as a photographer, as a journalist, or as the founder of a community? What am I doing? How am I doing it? Where am I spending my time and energy? And, again, all those different questions that I ask myself, that’s just me trying to be more intentional about going about it.” (24:10)Relating radio journalism to photography ethics: “Who are we having on the air, and are they the best person to tell this story? … It’s like, how we approach that and how we are so mindful of the voices we bring onto the air.” (28:00)“Am I the best person? You know, I also have to ask that myself. Just because I’m Black or just because I’m a woman, am I still the best person for x y z? And so, I still say no to things. And I’m like, if I can say no, I know my counterparts who are white can also say no, and pass up an assignment, and can recommend someone else.” (31:55)“What would I be leaving behind? And would I be proud of that? And what work would I be leaving behind, and so would I be proud of that work? And so I guess that’s how I think about it a lot, and how I think about what work I say yes to and what work I don’t say yes to, because it plays a large part in the mark you’ll be leaving.” (33:23)What does photo ethics mean to Polly?“I feel like this definition is constantly changing. Again, I think there are fundamentals that everyone probably knows and sticks to, but then you go beyond that and then everyone should have their own personal line where they do not cross. And so, it’s so hard because when you think about the state of photography and how it’s still very white male dominated, and any time there is any ethical dilemma I feel like it comes from those white males who still dominate this industry. … My definition of ethics would be … different compared to what photography may be because, again, it wasn’t set up for someone like me to thrive in.” (39:42)Links:Black Women PhotographersWomen PhotographPhotoShelter Webinar with Alexis Hunley and Dee Dwyer

In this episode, we talk with Polly Irungu on working intentionally. Polly reflects on her experiences growing up and going to university which led her to found the community Black Women Photographers. She describes how intentionality is central to everything she does - from her work as a photographer, to her work with radio news, and then to her work with Black Women Photographers. What you’ll find inside: “Photography was that creative tool, that creative outlet for me when I was in a really bad place and helped me find my voice again.” (9:09)“When you’re a self-taught photographer, you’re not taking a class classed ‘Ethics 101.’ You’re not learning about the things that typically or whatever is considered standard that’s ethically wrong – you’re not learning that as a self-taught photographer. And then, depending on what journalism school you go to, you may not even learn there either. I mean, you’ll learn like ethics within journalism, but how does that translate into the world of photography?” (10:40)“I want to leave this industry better than I found it.” (13:04)About the inception of Black Women Photographers (14:43)“What am I doing as a photographer, as a journalist, or as the founder of a community? What am I doing? How am I doing it? Where am I spending my time and energy? And, again, all those different questions that I ask myself, that’s just me trying to be more intentional about going about it.” (24:10)Relating radio journalism to photography ethics: “Who are we having on the air, and are they the best person to tell this story? … It’s like, how we approach that and how we are so mindful of the voices we bring onto the air.” (28:00)“Am I the best person? You know, I also have to ask that myself. Just because I’m Black or just because I’m a woman, am I still the best person for x y z? And so, I still say no to things. And I’m like, if I can say no, I know my counterparts who are white can also say no, and pass up an assignment, and can recommend someone else.” (31:55)“What would I be leaving behind? And would I be proud of that? And what work would I be leaving behind, and so would I be proud of that work? And so I guess that’s how I think about it a lot, and how I think about what work I say yes to and what work I don’t say yes to, because it plays a large part in the mark you’ll be leaving.” (33:23)What does photo ethics mean to Polly?“I feel like this definition is constantly changing. Again, I think there are fundamentals that everyone probably knows and sticks to, but then you go beyond that and then everyone should have their own personal line where they do not cross. And so, it’s so hard because when you think about the state of photography and how it’s still very white male dominated, and any time there is any ethical dilemma I feel like it comes from those white males who still dominate this industry. … My definition of ethics would be … different compared to what photography may be because, again, it wasn’t set up for someone like me to thrive in.” (39:42)Links:<a href="https://blackwomenphotographers.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Black Women Photographers</a><a href="http://womenphotograph.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Women Photograph</a><a href="https://blog.photoshelter.com/2021/02/the-social-effects-of-photography-bwp-on-demand/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PhotoShelter Webinar with Alexis Hunley and Dee Dwyer</a>

Polly Irungu: On working intentionally

In this episode, we talk with Kirsty Mackay, Kelly O’Brien, and Joanne Coates who are working class photographers, visual artists, storytellers, and founders of The Other. They talk about why and how they founded The Other, and the importance of fostering a supportive community. They discuss how they see the role of a photographer, the role of the photographed communities, and the power dynamic between the two. Providing examples from their own experiences, Kirsty, Kelly, and Joanne raise the issues facing working class people within the photography industry while suggesting possible solutions and calling for change. What you’ll find inside: “I think in my mind [the obstacles] are two fold. There are the obstacles that we have in our head. Things like imposter syndrome, things like a lack of confidence in middle class spaces. And then there are the obstacles within the photography industry. Some of those come from it being a middle class dominant space, so work of working class photographers is not valued in the same way. There’s the financial obstacles of the pay to play, so that’s paying to enter competitions, paying for portfolio reviews.” (9:40) (Kirsty)“I want to challenge the dominant visual discourses which are coming out, the dominant bodies of work that are coming out around working class communities which I find quite harmful. I find they’re misinformed. And that’s largely because the people who are making that work aren’t coming from those communities, and they don’t have a deeper understanding of what it’s like to be poor and working class. … I just feel like there needs to be a deeper education and knowledge when people are working with communities which aren’t theirs.” (16:40) (Kelly)“Photography’s always been very good at portraying victims and not as good at portraying the perpetrators. And if you are looking at poverty, for instance, through a middle class lens it’s easy to miss out a lot of the nuances and tell a very single sided story.” (17:35)  (Kirsty)“My solution is to listen to people, and when I’m photographing people I’m not doing it from a vantage point of looking down on people. When I’m photographing people, I’m in awe of the people that I’m photographing and I’m learning from them and I’m listening to them.” (31:20) (Kirsty)“Different marginalised groups are often divided, so we need to have an alliance with other groups and other movements. And all understand each other. So that could be queer photographers, BIPOC photographers, women photographers, disabled photographers, non-binary photographers. All different people who have all different issues and to understand that together we’re stronger.” (38:45) (Joanne)“People need to let go of their power. And I think that’s the difficult one.” (40:00) (Kelly) “I think there’s a fine line of this saviour complex that we can experience. And even in my own communities when I’m working, I don’t believe that my photography is going to radically change the people’s lives that I’m working with. Because actually it’s bigger than me, and it’s bigger than the work. It’s systemic, problematic, Capitalist oppression. And the least we can do with our work, if it’s done well, is create important conversations.” (49:00) (Kelly) “If you have money, it’s easy to make money. And I know some photographers who boast about their funding applications and their success rate. And I think I would just love people to look at their privilege a little bit more.” (59:35) (Kirsty)“Arts Council England … is a system in place to make artists able to practice, and it’s continuously taken advantage of by using things like grant writers, but also people who think that they deserve it, which is often not working class people. … It’s really important to look at that specific funding body and to know that it is funded mainly by working people, and how ethical is that in your practice.” (59:50) (Joanne)What does photo ethics mean to The Other?Joanne: “I think, individually, ethics should be at the core of your practise. … I think considering, and really looking at the actions that photography can have on other people is really important. And, as a group, I think ethics is something that we really talk about quite a lot. As in, before we do a talk, we discuss how that’s going to be manageable. Will it be difficult for people to access? What should we talk about? And we kind of really look at different issues and how they’re going to affect people. And that’s something that I’ve really found helpful, being a part of this group, is that I think Kelly and Kirsty are both very considerate towards that. So that makes it a group that I want to be part of.” (55:10)Kelly: “I think ethics for us as well - I’ll speak for all of us - is an openness to learning but more importantly unlearning. Unlearning is challenging and difficult, and I feel to be ethical as an organisation as well we need to be willing to learn from others, to get other people involved but also be open to criticism cause we’re not going to be doing everything perfect. We will make mistakes. And I’m sure we’ll make many mistakes. But that we have to invite and welcome in that dialogue. … For me, that’s what being ethical is, is to constantly - which is tiring but, you know, we are committed to doing the work - is to constantly have a look at how we’re acting and the way we think. And how that plays out in, not just our own practises, our image making, but also our work together as a group.” (57:00)Kirsty: “Ethics for me and photography in terms of making work, it really boils down to putting the person you're photographing or the community you’re photographing - putting their needs or requirements on a par with yours. And it’s about that releasing of power, and being willing to not use an image if the person in the picture does not want you to use that. You know, not assuming that you have a right over anybody else.” (1:01:28)Links:Class WarsKit de Waal Know Your Place: Essays on the Working Class by the Working Class Kerry HudsonPanic! Social Class, Taste, and Inequalities in the Creative Industries

In this episode, we talk with Kirsty Mackay, Kelly O’Brien, and Joanne Coates who are working class photographers, visual artists, storytellers, and founders of The Other. They talk about why and how they founded The Other, and the importance of fostering a supportive community. They discuss how they see the role of a photographer, the role of the photographed communities, and the power dynamic between the two. Providing examples from their own experiences, Kirsty, Kelly, and Joanne raise the issues facing working class people within the photography industry while suggesting possible solutions and calling for change. What you’ll find inside: “I think in my mind [the obstacles] are two fold. There are the obstacles that we have in our head. Things like imposter syndrome, things like a lack of confidence in middle class spaces. And then there are the obstacles within the photography industry. Some of those come from it being a middle class dominant space, so work of working class photographers is not valued in the same way. There’s the financial obstacles of the pay to play, so that’s paying to enter competitions, paying for portfolio reviews.” (9:40) (Kirsty)“I want to challenge the dominant visual discourses which are coming out, the dominant bodies of work that are coming out around working class communities which I find quite harmful. I find they’re misinformed. And that’s largely because the people who are making that work aren’t coming from those communities, and they don’t have a deeper understanding of what it’s like to be poor and working class. … I just feel like there needs to be a deeper education and knowledge when people are working with communities which aren’t theirs.” (16:40) (Kelly)“Photography’s always been very good at portraying victims and not as good at portraying the perpetrators. And if you are looking at poverty, for instance, through a middle class lens it’s easy to miss out a lot of the nuances and tell a very single sided story.” (17:35) (Kirsty)“My solution is to listen to people, and when I’m photographing people I’m not doing it from a vantage point of looking down on people. When I’m photographing people, I’m in awe of the people that I’m photographing and I’m learning from them and I’m listening to them.” (31:20) (Kirsty)“Different marginalised groups are often divided, so we need to have an alliance with other groups and other movements. And all understand each other. So that could be queer photographers, BIPOC photographers, women photographers, disabled photographers, non-binary photographers. All different people who have all different issues and to understand that together we’re stronger.” (38:45) (Joanne)“People need to let go of their power. And I think that’s the difficult one.” (40:00) (Kelly) “I think there’s a fine line of this saviour complex that we can experience. And even in my own communities when I’m working, I don’t believe that my photography is going to radically change the people’s lives that I’m working with. Because actually it’s bigger than me, and it’s bigger than the work. It’s systemic, problematic, Capitalist oppression. And the least we can do with our work, if it’s done well, is create important conversations.” (49:00) (Kelly) “If you have money, it’s easy to make money. And I know some photographers who boast about their funding applications and their success rate. And I think I would just love people to look at their privilege a little bit more.” (59:35) (Kirsty)“Arts Council England … is a system in place to make artists able to practice, and it’s continuously taken advantage of by using things like grant writers, but also people who think that they deserve it, which is often not working class people. … It’s really important to look at that specific funding body and to know that it is funded mainly by working people, and how ethical is that in your practice.” (59:50) (Joanne)What does photo ethics mean to The Other?Joanne: “I think, individually, ethics should be at the core of your practise. … I think considering, and really looking at the actions that photography can have on other people is really important. And, as a group, I think ethics is something that we really talk about quite a lot. As in, before we do a talk, we discuss how that’s going to be manageable. Will it be difficult for people to access? What should we talk about? And we kind of really look at different issues and how they’re going to affect people. And that’s something that I’ve really found helpful, being a part of this group, is that I think Kelly and Kirsty are both very considerate towards that. So that makes it a group that I want to be part of.” (55:10)Kelly: “I think ethics for us as well - I’ll speak for all of us - is an openness to learning but more importantly unlearning. Unlearning is challenging and difficult, and I feel to be ethical as an organisation as well we need to be willing to learn from others, to get other people involved but also be open to criticism cause we’re not going to be doing everything perfect. We will make mistakes. And I’m sure we’ll make many mistakes. But that we have to invite and welcome in that dialogue. … For me, that’s what being ethical is, is to constantly - which is tiring but, you know, we are committed to doing the work - is to constantly have a look at how we’re acting and the way we think. And how that plays out in, not just our own practises, our image making, but also our work together as a group.” (57:00)Kirsty: “Ethics for me and photography in terms of making work, it really boils down to putting the person you're photographing or the community you’re photographing - putting their needs or requirements on a par with yours. And it’s about that releasing of power, and being willing to not use an image if the person in the picture does not want you to use that. You know, not assuming that you have a right over anybody else.” (1:01:28)Links:<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000s7hd" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Class Wars</a><a href="https://www.kitdewaal.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kit de Waal </a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36323160-know-your-place" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Know Your Place: Essays on the Working Class by the Working Class </a><a href="https://kerryhudson.co.uk/2012/01/11/kerry-hudson/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kerry Hudson</a><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333508087_Panic_Social_Class_Taste_and_Inequalities_in_the_Creative_Industries" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Panic! Social Class, Taste, and Inequalities in the Creative Industries</a>

The Other: On class in the industry

Waleed Shah

In this episode, we talk with Waleed Shah on how he uses photography to break stereotypes and challenge societal norms, in both his personal and commercial work. In creating work with and about people of other cultures, he acknowledges the importance of cultural sensitivity, and the importance of learning from people who truly understand the culture. Waleed discusses how, in commercial photography, it’s possible to set up a scene specifically to alter perceptions of a particular group of people. He also describes his upfront approach to ethics, and how commercial brands may respond to this. What you’ll find inside: “In a masculine dominated society, you’ll have the man driving and the woman in the passenger seat so, you know, when I saw that visual, I hadn’t seen the visual before shooting, but when I was shooting and I saw them sitting there I was like guys, this is so stereotypical, let’s switch this up. So we switched up the lady having her in the driver’s seat, and it’s like a muscle car and they’re having a light interaction, not a flirty interaction. So it’s those societal norms or those stereotypes that you kind of try to break so it’s not just another lame ad.” (6:49) “From an ethical standpoint, what I understand with documentary photography, it’s like you want to keep the scene as is, you don’t want to touch it, you know because you’re documenting what is happening in reality, you don’t want to pose people, you don’t want to crop in a way that changes the story. Whereas in commercial photography you can set up the scene in a way to change perceptions.” (8:40) “It’s generally resistant, to be very honest, it’s generally resistant. But the people themselves, the people working for the brands, understand it. But there’s always this expectation that my boss won’t approve it, my boss won’t like it and if only that person was in the room with us I could take them into it.” (9:47) On cultural sensitivity for The Father’s Day Project: “I took a buddy with me who is from Kerala, his family’s there, he grew up there, and he really helped me navigate that culture, and also translate, and be respectful.’ (11:27) “t’s a strange way to put it but you actually get famous, you get well known for putting your foot down on certain issues. So once you put your foot down on one topic, the industry will know about it. And it can go both ways... One way it can go is the bad way which is, oh this is a difficult person. Let’s not work with them.” (17:44) What does photo ethics mean to Waleed?“I think it changes with every conversation. And that’s one of the reasons I actually don’t like having the questions in advance so I can’t really prepare the answers, and I just have to think off the top of my head. But I think today it’s about representing every culture and breaking every stereotype that you possibly can - when we’re talking about the commercial side of things. … representing the right cultures in an image and breaking the stereotypes of that culture because I think, at least in our generation, we’re kind of done with our parents' generation of thinking. You know, we want to get rid of that. It’s all about the male, female roles, it’s all about cultural minority roles - breaking those stereotypes and levelling the marketing to include everybody.” (25:58) Links Behind the Scenes Video - Emarat | Expect the UnexpectedRock Your UglyMagazine Cover The Father's Day Project

In this episode, we talk with Waleed Shah on how he uses photography to break stereotypes and challenge societal norms, in both his personal and commercial work. In creating work with and about people of other cultures, he acknowledges the importance of cultural sensitivity, and the importance of learning from people who truly understand the culture. Waleed discusses how, in commercial photography, it’s possible to set up a scene specifically to alter perceptions of a particular group of people. He also describes his upfront approach to ethics, and how commercial brands may respond to this. What you’ll find inside: “In a masculine dominated society, you’ll have the man driving and the woman in the passenger seat so, you know, when I saw that visual, I hadn’t seen the visual before shooting, but when I was shooting and I saw them sitting there I was like guys, this is so stereotypical, let’s switch this up. So we switched up the lady having her in the driver’s seat, and it’s like a muscle car and they’re having a light interaction, not a flirty interaction. So it’s those societal norms or those stereotypes that you kind of try to break so it’s not just another lame ad.” (6:49) “From an ethical standpoint, what I understand with documentary photography, it’s like you want to keep the scene as is, you don’t want to touch it, you know because you’re documenting what is happening in reality, you don’t want to pose people, you don’t want to crop in a way that changes the story. Whereas in commercial photography you can set up the scene in a way to change perceptions.” (8:40) “It’s generally resistant, to be very honest, it’s generally resistant. But the people themselves, the people working for the brands, understand it. But there’s always this expectation that my boss won’t approve it, my boss won’t like it and if only that person was in the room with us I could take them into it.” (9:47) On cultural sensitivity for The Father’s Day Project: “I took a buddy with me who is from Kerala, his family’s there, he grew up there, and he really helped me navigate that culture, and also translate, and be respectful.’ (11:27) “t’s a strange way to put it but you actually get famous, you get well known for putting your foot down on certain issues. So once you put your foot down on one topic, the industry will know about it. And it can go both ways... One way it can go is the bad way which is, oh this is a difficult person. Let’s not work with them.” (17:44) What does photo ethics mean to Waleed?“I think it changes with every conversation. And that’s one of the reasons I actually don’t like having the questions in advance so I can’t really prepare the answers, and I just have to think off the top of my head. But I think today it’s about representing every culture and breaking every stereotype that you possibly can - when we’re talking about the commercial side of things. … representing the right cultures in an image and breaking the stereotypes of that culture because I think, at least in our generation, we’re kind of done with our parents' generation of thinking. You know, we want to get rid of that. It’s all about the male, female roles, it’s all about cultural minority roles - breaking those stereotypes and levelling the marketing to include everybody.” (25:58) Links <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=3s&amp;v=EDc_bMJR5PU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Behind the Scenes Video - Emarat | Expect the Unexpected</a><a href="https://www.waleedshah.ae/rock-your-ugly/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rock Your Ugly</a><a href="https://www.waleedshah.ae/magazine-cover/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Magazine Cover </a><a href="https://www.waleedshah.ae/kerala-fathers/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Father's Day Project</a>

Waleed Shah: On breaking stereotypes

Sarah Waiswa

In this episode, we talk with Sarah Waiswa about the importance of listening to the people you are photographing. Sarah describes her experiences working with journalists and working with NGOs, and the difference between them. She highlights the potential for NGO photography to be extractive as a result of the power imbalance between the photographer and the photographed. To counteract this, Sarah notes the need to acknowledge the power that you have, and emphasises the role that collaboration should play in telling someone else’s story. What you’ll find inside: “I think a lot of the issues is with NGOs that work in the rural areas, when the people see them coming, they think they’ve come with money and gifts and all types of things, you know? So they feel like they really have to perform in order to get those things.” (10:10) “I think NGO work is my least favourite kind of work because it is extractive. … Also the briefs, you know, are very make sure everyone is smiling. Make sure it’s positive. Make sure people are happy. Make sure, make sure, make sure. And yet when you go into these areas... sometimes it’s not a smiley situation.” (12:20) “This idea of being the voice of the voiceless, I think when I was starting out that sounded so … cool right? I quickly, quickly after kind of working and just learning about photography, just realised that that was absolutely just not true. I don’t think anybody can be the voice for anybody else.” (17:30) “Anytime you are telling other people’s stories it has to be a collaboration, you know? Yes, you have the tool, you have the camera, but at the end of the day, you have to work with someone in order to be able to tell a story.” (18:30) “I think the story doesn’t start with you busting out your camera.” (20:20)“Even as an African, telling stories about Africa, I think it’s still important to consider that we could possibly be doing the same thing and in various different communities. If I go and photograph a story in an informal settlement, I am an outsider too.” (24:20) What does photo ethics mean to Sarah? “I think the first thing I would say is that recognising that, just by virtue of you having a camera, that you have a certain power, depending obviously on the type of photography that you’re doing, but that you have a certain power over the people that you’re photographing. And so being conscious of that I think is really important. I think if you’re conscious of that, how you navigate the storytelling and how you use that power I think is really important. And not abusing that power. I think that’s what photography ethics is, is really trying not to abuse the power that the camera gives you.” (28:40) 

In this episode, we talk with Sarah Waiswa about the importance of listening to the people you are photographing. Sarah describes her experiences working with journalists and working with NGOs, and the difference between them. She highlights the potential for NGO photography to be extractive as a result of the power imbalance between the photographer and the photographed. To counteract this, Sarah notes the need to acknowledge the power that you have, and emphasises the role that collaboration should play in telling someone else’s story. What you’ll find inside: “I think a lot of the issues is with NGOs that work in the rural areas, when the people see them coming, they think they’ve come with money and gifts and all types of things, you know? So they feel like they really have to perform in order to get those things.” (10:10) “I think NGO work is my least favourite kind of work because it is extractive. … Also the briefs, you know, are very make sure everyone is smiling. Make sure it’s positive. Make sure people are happy. Make sure, make sure, make sure. And yet when you go into these areas... sometimes it’s not a smiley situation.” (12:20) “This idea of being the voice of the voiceless, I think when I was starting out that sounded so … cool right? I quickly, quickly after kind of working and just learning about photography, just realised that that was absolutely just not true. I don’t think anybody can be the voice for anybody else.” (17:30) “Anytime you are telling other people’s stories it has to be a collaboration, you know? Yes, you have the tool, you have the camera, but at the end of the day, you have to work with someone in order to be able to tell a story.” (18:30) “I think the story doesn’t start with you busting out your camera.” (20:20)“Even as an African, telling stories about Africa, I think it’s still important to consider that we could possibly be doing the same thing and in various different communities. If I go and photograph a story in an informal settlement, I am an outsider too.” (24:20) What does photo ethics mean to Sarah? “I think the first thing I would say is that recognising that, just by virtue of you having a camera, that you have a certain power, depending obviously on the type of photography that you’re doing, but that you have a certain power over the people that you’re photographing. And so being conscious of that I think is really important. I think if you’re conscious of that, how you navigate the storytelling and how you use that power I think is really important. And not abusing that power. I think that’s what photography ethics is, is really trying not to abuse the power that the camera gives you.” (28:40)

Sarah Waiswa: On listening first

This podcast is all about the ethics of photography. Each week we will hear from an accomplished photographer about what ethics means in their practice. We will talk about how these photographers have handled challenging situations, we will hear how their different experiences have shaped the way that they use their camera, and we will ask the big questions to find out why they photograph what they photograph. We will cover topics like consent, dignity, power, responsibility, impact, and collaboration. This podcast is hosted by Savannah Dodd, founder of the Photography Ethics Centre.

The Photo Ethics Podcast

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