Power Dynamics Within Photography

This extract implies that the process of photography in itself could, in fact, transform the contributor from a person, into an object at risk of having another person’s fantasies, desires, opinions and misconceptions projected onto them. Due to the fact that the viewer is unable to hear, smell or feel the person, it solidifies them more as a commodity.

Despite the heavy influx of information and the possible feelings of guilt and shame after realising the power that a photographer possesses, I am aware that the next question people might ask is ‘so what should I do? Hang up my camera for good and seek out a different career path?’ No, definitely no. What you do need to be aware of is how to use the power that you possess as a photographer to do good, and here are a few simple things to be mindful of when seeking to take images in an ethical manner.

1. Do you know your contributor? When photographing people either for an assignment a commission or a personal assignment, getting to know your contributor will definitely aid you in your quest of taking ethical images. Taking time, whether it be a few days or a few minutes to get to know the person you are photographing, asking them questions about themselves, their interests or maybe even their views on the topic that you are photographing, will help you to see that person as much more than a ‘subject’ that you are photographing, but as a human being. Despite the need to stay as objective as possible as a documentary photographer, it is also important to ensure that in your desire to be “objective,” you don’t unintentionally prevent the human elements coming through by taking generic images.
   
2. Be conscious of what is going on in the frame. There have been constant criticisms in regard to the way that some INGOs/NGOs and organisations have chosen to photograph certain individuals. In a bid to raise money for a cause, at times they have unfortunately ended up depicting the contributor in an undignified and degrading manner. It is imperative to be aware of what is going on in your frame and how the person in front of the lens is being presented. If you are doing a shoot for an INGO in a community or village, and you can see that there are flies on your contributors face, it is important to ask yourself what the implications of choosing to take the image like that are. It is also important to question what the benefits of helping that person remove those flies from their face before clicking the shutter button would also be. Another typical example is when babies or children are being photographed for charitable purposes. What would be the projection of that child being photographed with nasal discharge around their nose or dirt on their face, compared to you encouraging the parent or the carer to clean up the child’s face for the image. Raising money by depicting suffering in an undignified way, is something that the photography industry is trying to move away from, so avoid being complicit with these issues. 
   
3. How do you portray your subjects in the captions and narrative? When writing about the images you have taken of someone, either through the captions or narrative, it is important to be as accurate as possible with the information provided. A caption is a literal description of what is going on in the images, where and when the image was taken, who is in the image, etc. One small error, misinformation, or lack of information can completely change the perception and context of the person who has been photographed. The same applies for when a narrative is being written, sensationalising or manipulating certain facts to make the story sound more appetizing can completely dismantle the image of a person, transforming it into something else either positive or negative.