{"id":31834,"date":"2016-09-27T02:00:55","date_gmt":"2016-09-27T09:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=31834"},"modified":"2016-09-25T19:54:21","modified_gmt":"2016-09-26T02:54:21","slug":"the-street-photography-code-of-ethics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/09\/27\/the-street-photography-code-of-ethics\/","title":{"rendered":"The Street Photography Code of Ethics"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Berkeley,
Berkeley, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dear friend,<\/p>\n

Sometimes you might feel guilty photographing your subjects. Sometimes it feels wrong. Sometimes you feel wrong and dirty.<\/p>\n

What is the most “ethical” way to shoot street photography?<\/p>\n

For a quick summary, I think street photography comes down to the golden rule:\u00c2\u00a0don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t photograph others as you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want others to photograph you<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What does it feel like on the other side?<\/h2>\n
\"London,
London, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For me, ethics is being able to look at yourself in the mirror and be able to sleep at night. To be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153ethical\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is to not<\/em> treat others how you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/em> want to be treated.<\/p>\n

I know a lot of street photographers who don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like having their own photograph taken.<\/p>\n

What is the problem of this?<\/p>\n

Because they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like having their own photograph taken, they feel guilty when they photograph others. They assume others will be as offended as they are. Therefore, these street photographers feel a deep sense of guilt or shame taking a photo of a stranger without their permission.<\/p>\n

Have you ever had a street photograph taken of you?<\/h2>\n
\"Prague,
Prague, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Personally, I take photos of strangers with and without permission, and have no problem falling asleep at night.<\/p>\n

Why?<\/p>\n

I like having my photograph taken \u00e2\u20ac\u201d with or without permission. I feel comfortable in my own skin. And I find it hilarious when others photograph me (either candidly) or when they approach me.<\/p>\n

A lot of it has to do with my personality. I love to be the center of attention. I feel flattered when others shower me with attention or interest. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had random strangers take photos of me in public, either when I was dressed normally, or when I was dressed like a pirate in Hong Kong (in my episode of Digital Rev with Kaiman Wong).<\/p>\n

However there are many situations where I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel comfortable photographing strangers candidly. In these situations, I feel like I am potentially exploiting them. For example, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like to shoot candid photos (without permission) of homeless people or people who look destitute (or under their luck).<\/p>\n

In situations when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure whether I feel \u00e2\u20ac\u0153ethical\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photographing someone, I ask for permission<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This gives the power back to your subject. If they say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153yes\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve made that decision. If they say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153no\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d then you respect their decision, thank them for their time, and then move on.<\/p>\n

But isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t street photography only supposed to be shot without permission?<\/h2>\n
\"In
In and Out, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"tucson-contact-jpeg\"<\/p>\n

I think the biggest misconception in street photography is that it has to be shot without permission, or candidly.<\/p>\n

I falsify that claim by stating the (very big) list of street photographers who have photographed their subjects with permission. Off the top of my head, I can think of the following photographers and images:<\/p>\n