Ethics in Photography
Now looking at ethics in photography, another important issue to address when looking at imagery which had had a impact on how photography is produced in the current day, I will still be focusing ion the work of Steve McCurry and looking at how he his work over the years of his success has received both praise for its braveness in capturing something so alien from what we know in our society, as well as criticism for its untruthful representation of the other cultures he chooses to photograph. I have previously looked at his work in relation to the representation of other cultures in our world and how this may be an inaccurate representation due his outsider’s POV when immersing himself into the lifestyle and living of places like India and Afghanistan. Now I will look at ethics and whether his imagery is accepted by the public based on its perceptions of being right or wrong in relation to morales of how we should treat and respect other cultures – often, McCurry is criticised being offensive in his work because what he shows is glamorised and romanticised for the camera and the people of their culture would prefer to be shown in their true colours – how they live life everyday – which, for most of the people in deprived countries, is a lot worse of than us and this representation is often looked at as being inappropriate (cultural appropriation) because it goes against the view that everything should be true and we should not lie – sparking arguments about the ethical value of McCurry’s imagery.
As McCurry’s imagery was looked into further and more thoroughly, it was discovered that there were questions surrounding the methods of production of his photographs and that it went against the ethics and standards of photojournalism.
Photojournalism is defined as ‘the practice of communicating news by photographs, especially in magazines.’ Photojournalism relies on the sequencing of images to tell a story – a narrative and essentially a news story – the images should be strong enough to get a message across to an audience without the need for a caption or any text to accompany it. This is what McCurry has achieved, to immense extents in his career with several of his images being published in the National Geographic magazines and as well on the covers of a few magazines – this shows that his images are extremely powerful – powerful enough to portray a story to his audience. Photojournalism is intended to be very narrative driven bit also, there obviously has to be a underlying notion of truth and what is shown in the imagery produced by a photojournalist should be both truthful and relevant to current news stories as well as being ethically right in its content and methods. A photojournalist should not put anyone in an uncomfortable position in the process of taking their images nor should their methods be unethical.
Furthermore, ethics are defined as ‘moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour or the conducting of an activity.’ Therefore, looking at photojournalism and ethics combined, it would make sense that photojournalism, is all about being ethical and ‘right’ so that society is not harmed buy anything produced. If ethics are moral principals, then this should be evident in the imagery produced for journalism purposes where everything shown is truthful and not altered in order to show a picture or a story which is more ‘accepted’ or an image which shows things to be ‘correct’ which is what Steve McCurry has been accused of not doing in his work where people have begun to unpick his work and reveal the ugly which was not shown to us in the first place – McCurry has been heavily criticised for Photoshopping or ‘touching up’ certain elements of his images so that they look better and nicer to look at, whether this be through removing people or objects to make the images look less cluttered or romanticising a scene which is not glamorous in real life.
During Steve McCurry’s career as a photojournalist for National Geographic, India was his most visited country evident in his work and was a place which he said was very special yo him – he expressed his love for the country and it was the location which made up most of portfolio as a backdrop for captivating images capturing Indian culture and Indian people. On the blog post written by Kshitij Nagar on PetaPixel focussing the examination into is work, the writer states that India to some was regarded as his ‘Karma Bhoomi'(the land where one works)’. It is in the next paragraph that the either then goes on to talk about McCurry’s depiction of India which sparks the most controversy both internally and internationally due its ‘certain stereotypical, exotic, almost “Slumdog Millionaire-ish” version of India’. I have already discussed this when looking sat the comments made by Teju Cole of The New York Times in which he makes no efforts to hold back in his rant at McCurry and has no regard for his status in the photography due to the fact that he, in his eyes, as an Indian, disrespects their culture by showing it in the light McCurry does. This is re-iterated by Nagar.
(Words from PetaPixel’s publication on ‘The Botched Print’) ‘A travel photography giant, his vibrant images have inspired millions, but he’s recently come under fire over Photoshop use after a botched print at a show in Italy was found to have a serious issue.’ And this is quite right – McCurry is a documentary photography giant and he is expected, due to this big status and big name to follow the rules and to not offend people of the cultures he is photographing so heavily which also in the public eye so much now he is this world-renowned artist. Hover, he has been found out to potentially be a user of Photoshop to improve images beyond there rawness and actuality of life itself to a point where the story is distorted.
This image, has been, understandably removed from McCurry’s website now as he has been under fire for using Photoshop to alter his images but has made a ‘botch up’ of it to the point where it is very obvious due to the unrealism of it – the bottom of the road sign pole has been dislocated form the actual sign post and it is floating in mid air where it does not look real – this has caused much rage over audiences and it is now questioned ‘how far has McCurry’s imagery been altered?’ This, as well, has generated more controversy over other images of his which has also been commented on in the article.
The two images below are also digitally manipulated images of McCurry’s and were both found on his website. In the first image, you can see, in the background, a hazed and blurred second cart to the left as well as a pole sticking out from this bit in the image below, these two objects have been removed from the frame by McCurry and Sharma writes that he is ‘not at all surprised’ of this digital manipulation done by McCurry because all he wishes to do is to create the ‘perfect frame’ and eh would go any lengths to do this, but the result is an untruthful representation of the real life events which occurred at the time; in turn, abusing the notion of ethical methods.
“I am not at all surprised at the digital manipulation (done by him) to create the perfect frame.
I have watched him rig (stage) his pictures. (He) Arranged the subjects (back then) because chromes (slide film) could not be that easily manipulated.”
Another image produced by McCurry has been revealed to be very staged and this seem to be a recurring theme of his imagery production methods and we can begin to lose our hope of such a renowned photographer which has much success with his work because of this critical examination int his work and the reveal of these unethical methods. Do all photographers carry out false methods of production to create this ‘perfect frame’ or are there artists who embrace the idea of a candid portrait? Sharma also says that McCurry’s imagery are ‘staged candid portraits’ – this oxymoron presents a juxtaposition that doesn’t work as a ‘candid portrait’ is a photograph taken of a moment in time – without the subjects aware of the cameras presence – it is natural but a ‘staged portrait’ is a method where the subjects are positioned purposely to show a mood. The image below has been staged and Sharma comments on this:
“This apparently off the cuff moment was arranged too. The lady is the wife of a photographer friend and the suitcases the coolie (porter) is carrying are empty. They had to be because the shot took time and lots of patient posing. McCurry’s pictures have been called STAGED CANDID MOMENTS by Avinash Pasricha, a photographer friend who knows how he works because he helped him with the pictures like the one above. The lady is his sister-in-law.”
When technology makes it so easy to manipulate images, how much manipulation is acceptable?
With the easy accessibility of software such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, as well as Instagram an other image editing applications, and using software such as the examples listed above being sop vital for photographers in the current day, image manipulation is more or less inevitable in this ever-growing age where technology is taking over the human generation. Everyday, we rely on technology to get us through the day and everyday 52,000,000 images are uploaded to Instagram on average. This shows the pure depth of how image editing is so important to even non-photographers.
The use of Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom is a second nature to most photographers in the modern day of technology driven lives. Most photographers may feel like the editing of imagery is the way forward and it is essential in order for audiences to enjoy your work and this is why artists strive to create the ‘perfect frame’ through manipulation of the original image to take it beyond it’s raw form where audiences struggle to connect with it as the truth has been removed. I enjoy looking at contemporary and delicate imagery where the only editing done is subtle adjustments of contrast, exposure or brightness etc.
The extent to which manipulation is acceptable is very debate-able and different people would argue different things but I believe that if the message of the image becomes distorted or the truth becomes hazed due to the extent to which an artist has altered their image, the this is hard to accept as an image which can have an impact on our society – this is an image which is has no powerful meaning to impact the audiences thoughts. However, there is also the argument that heavy image manipulation is essential when creating a photo collage for example, and this is understandably. If an artist’s work is based in the fine art industry where surrealism is wanted to be achieved from each image, then I can understand how the may need to go to further extents to produce something for its purpose than want a more contemporary style artists who focuses on the more technical elements such as composition and framing may do.
Therefore, there is a whole issue surrounding the idea of manipulation of images which needs to be straightened out in order for audiences to understand an artists intentions but looking at McCurry’s imagery, his efforts to create the perfect frame goes to far, especially when looking at such a touchy subject such as poverty in deprived countries – almost taboo, this needs to be appearance every carefully but he holds no regard for the views of the subjects he photographs and this has come out in recent years to put him under scrutiny.
With viewers more sophisticated and skeptical than ever before, how can photojournalists and documentary photographers preserve their integrity and maintain trust?
Like I said before, due to this whole saga surrounding Steve McCurry’s work and his intentions from producing his work, with it also being revealed tat he is not as trustworthy and professional as originally thought, it is difficult for us viewers and consumers of these products to understand where the boundaries are – are all photojounrasists showing us flase information? Photojournalists are ‘supposed’ to be putting truthful and accurate information on the cover of our media for us to understand and absorb so we are not being fed false facts.
Although photographers, Steve McCurry being a great example, believe they can alter their images beyond the point of actuality without their audience realising because we weren’t present at the time, often, their unethical methods are revealed, much like what happened with Steve McCurry and not only does it not play well with us, but it also ruins his reputation that he has built up over several years – his status, being part of the huge firm, National Geographic – he has allowed us to put our trust in him to provide with direct information about the places he visits but this reputation and status becomes less and less over the years as more and more information about the way he manipulates is put in the public eye and the view he had maintained and the dignity he had obtained from his much loved work gradually decreases and his fans trust in him disappears.
Audiences of any media are much more opinionated in this current day and it can often come back to haunt the producers of the media especially if it has been hidden that they have been unethical in how it was produced or morally incorrect. In photography, methods of editing is often hidden and this can be very hurtful to audiences if they are loyal fans and suddenly realise the artist they follow has not shown them the full picture and it can be argued that hidden truths were kept secret for many years regarding the Weinstein scandal in the news still after a month with more and more women coming out about the sexual harassment put on them by Weinstein – this is an example of reputations and integrity vanishing in a second due to one mistake and audiences become very opinionated once news like this comes out and although less severe with photography, people still wish to voice their views and may lash out on the subject.
Photojournalists should make their intentions clear from the get go when releasing a series of works etc. so that their audiences know exactly what is occurring and how each image has been produced. If releasing two versions of an image, make this clear and make the alterations made clear also so there is no misunderstanding – communicate with your audiences.
Who sets the boundaries of what defines photojournalism or documentary ethics?
Like in photography in general, there are no boundaries as such – everything in photography is free – everybody is free with their creativity to produce what they want and I believe this is the same in photojournalism and any other aspect of photography as an art form but there is the notion of producing something within reason; like I said, nothing that offends, or pits anyone in unconformable situation and in photojournalism, it goes against the purpose of using imagery to show a visual story for news reasons by removing objects in the mage or heavily altering the way the image looks because it is about the meaning behind it – the message. Photojournalism does not adopt the same purposes as contemporary photography where it is about showing a photograph which shows aspects aesthetics through careful composition etc. Photojournalism is also this but its main function is to show a story and relate to texts which take power in the news at that current time – you want to focus on creating a meaning and this requires careful thought into the framing and content of the frame but I believe that editing should be very minimal to get the full effect of immersing yourself into the news story without worrying about the story being distorted in any way.
Therefore, I believe there are no boundaries as such because photography is a creative outlet which people engage themselves in to be free in their ways of showing something – a message but, linking back to the idea of ethics, standards and representation, these should all be considered when taking an image.
Shoot w/ Dad in His Flat
BODY DYSMORPHIA
DYSMORPHIA
According to the internet, “Body Dysmorphic disorder is a mental disorder characterized by the obsessive idea that some aspect of one’s own appearance is severely flawed and warrants exceptional measures to hide or fix it.”
Body Dysmorphic Disorder has so many ways it effects the victim. Somebody with Body Dysmorphia would think about their “real or perceived” flaws for hours each day. They can’t control their negative thoughts and don’t believe people who tell them that they look fine. Their thoughts may cause severe emotional distress and interfere with their daily functioning. They may miss work or school, avoid social situations and isolate themselves, even from family and friends, because they fear others will notice their flaws.
BDD is a body-image disorder characterized by persistent and intrusive preoccupations with an imagined or slight defect in one’s appearance. People with BDD can dislike any part of their body, although they often find fault with their hair, skin, nose, chest, or stomach. In reality, a perceived defect may be only a slight imperfection or nonexistent. But for someone with BDD, the flaw is significant and prominent, often causing severe emotional distress and difficulties in daily functioning.The causes of BDD are unclear, but certain biological and environmental factors may contribute to its development, including genetic predisposition, neurobiological factors such as malfunctioning of serotonin in the brain, personality traits, and life experiences (e.g. child maltreatment, sexual trauma, peer-abuse).
Body Dysmophia is a big issue, especially in teenage’s and young adults. Social media and the creation of the ‘ideal’ body image has effected the development of body dysmorphia. I want to use this social issue and process it so that I can express the concern through the use of photography. A creation of a ‘body suite’ could be used to represent what it could look like, in a symbolized way, to live with body dysmorphia. I would create a series of body suites using different materials, such as tights. A model would then wear the suites in a series of shoots to experiment which angles and positions are the best to highlight the context of the suites.
The images below are ideas of different body suites I could try recreate. I want to capture some images of the full body and some of just the face and other specific body parts.
I like the effect of the plain, simple background. I’ll use this idea in my shoot. The colour pallets have clearly been well planned. The fleshy tones with the browns and the pinks work really well, but I also like the bright colors in contrast to the dark background.
Planner & Tracker for Week 10/11/12
My Final Plan- Personal Investigation
REPRESENTATION, ETHICS AND STANDARDS
Your task here is to question photography’s ability to be ‘truthful’. You are required to write at least 1000 words as response to issues in representation, ethics and standards in documentary photography and photojournalism. Use questions below to prompt your answers and illustrate your essay with images.
CASE STUDY: Steve McCurry
TASK 1 REPRESENTATION: DEADLINE MON 30 OCT (after H-Term)
The images of renowned photographer Steve McCurry, who made the famous and iconic image of an Afghan girl for a front cover of National Geography has recently been criticized for making ‘too perfect pictures’ which not only are boring but reinforces a particular idea or stereotype of the exotic other.
Read this article by Teju Cole in the New York Times Magazine which compares McCurry’s representation of India with a native photographer, Raghubir Singh who worked from the late ’60s until his untimely death in 1999, traveling all over India to create a series of powerful books about his homeland.
Reference to Coldplay’s new video also highlight the idea of cultural appropriation that harks back to Britain’s colonial rule and exploitation of the Orient.
As a counter-argument, read this article on Petapixel in In defense of Steve McCurry’s images
Question : How is McCurry’s images different compared to Singh in the way that they represent Indian culture? Back it up with references to articles read and include quotes for or against your own view.
TASK 2 ETHICS: DEADLINE MON 13 NOV
As this debate about Steve McCurry was raging others began to look more closely at his work and a number of more serious and urgent questions were raised which in the end became a full blown scandal revealing methods used by McCurry in constructing his iconic images that goes against standards and ethics in documentary photography and photojournalism.
After the initial bit of articles were published in publications and blogs online, Indian photographer Satish Sharma made the following comments on his blog: Read his article in full: Eyes of the Afghan Girl: A Critical Take on the ‘Steve McCurry Scandal’ which has hyperlinks to most of the articles written in relation to McCurry’s recent controversial work and practice as a photojournalist.
Try and answer the following set of questions:
Q1: When technology makes it so easy to manipulate images, how much manipulation is acceptable?
Q2: With viewers more sophisticated and skeptical than ever before, how can photojournalists and documentary photographers preserve their integrity and maintain trust?
Q3: Who sets the boundaries of what defines photojournalism or documentary ethics?
Here are some of the key issues raised in the article:
Photoshopped manipulation of iconic images, by removing unwanted details or adding new material not originally in the photograph.
The controversy began with a so-called “botched print” as PetaPixel reported it citing photographer Paolo Vigilione who went to an exhibition of McCurry’s work in Italy and posted about what he had seen on his blog. While he “had no intention to attack McCurry” he certainly got the ball rolling on what has now snowballed into a full-blown controversy.
The images have since been removed from McCurry’s website as well as by Vigilione from his blog. These images were taken from the PetaPixel article:
A further cursory exploration into his work lead to the following few images that PetaPixel too published in its article. These images too have been removed from McCurry’s website, in fact the entire blog seems to have been removed.
Staging the shoot by arranging models and props, creating a scene (Tableaux) that fits in with a certain construction and representation of a certain stereotype and ‘exotic’ version of India.
Satish Sharma: I am not at all surprised at the digital manipulation (done by him) to create the perfect frame.
I have watched him rig (stage) his pictures. (He) Arranged the subjects (back then) because chromes (slide film) could not be that easily manipulated.
Sharma goes onto cite an important and iconic image, that of the railway engine in front of the Taj.
Regarding this image Sharma says:
This famous cover picture of his National Geographic story on the Railways was a special case that I remember. He actually had to reshoot it and got the railways to take the engine back again, because the first shoot was not sharp enough.
Further elaborating, Sharma writes:
For a shot of the kitchen in ‘The Great Indian Rover’ he actually had the railing around the work bench removed. I know because I was there. The last time I saw him he was arranging a picture in Delhi’s Lodi Garden directing a waiter where to stand.
Perhaps, most perturbing of Sharma’s claims is the following image, which also appeared in the same NatGeo issue of 1984 on traveling across India by rail:
Regarding this Sharma writes:
This apparently off the cuff moment was arranged too. The lady is the wife of a photographer friend and the suitcases the coolie (porter) is carrying are empty. They had to be because the shot took time and lots of patient posing. McCurry’s pictures have been called STAGED CANDID MOMENTS by Avinash Pasricha, a photographer friend who knows how he works because he helped him with the pictures like the one above. The lady is his sister-in-law
In a bid to investigate and ratify Sharma’s claims, a call was made to Avinash Pasricha, veteran photographer living in Delhi. He had the following to say:
Yes, from what I can recall, Steve used to stage quite a few shots back then. He needed help whenever he came to India and people obliged. Since my house was and still is centrally located in the city he would come here often. He was always passionate and longing to go out and shoot again. On one occasion that he had come, he told me of a particular shot that he wanted to take on how people travel in India. He requested my sister in law Vanita to accompany him to New Delhi Railway station.
On asking him about the suitcases on the porter’s head, he confirms that they are indeed empty.
A little bit of searching lead me to the lady in the above image, Ms. Vanita Pasricha, who briefly told me the following regarding the image:
This image is from about 32 years ago. He was a very polite man, a thorough gentleman who wanted a picture on how people travel in India. I went with him to New Delhi Railway Station in the morning for a few quick pictures. Those suitcases are my suitcases and that is my son Mithil that I am holding, who is now in fact 38 years old now. I only met him a couple of times, I did not even know whether the photo was published or not. It is only when my brother called from the states did I get to know that it was published in National Geographic.
The image was indeed published in the June issues of 1984 of NatGeo in the following form, according to this archived copy.
It was published with the following misleading caption:
TASK 3 STANDARDS: DEADLINE MON 20 NOV
Consider his argument, that by categorizing himself now as visual storyteller, rather than a photojournalist absolve McCurry of accepting responsibility for following simple documentary practice i.e recording tings as they are, something he claims to always strive to according to this TED talk from just a few years ago.
Question: Compare McCurry’s practice to World Press Photo’s – the most respected organisation that represents photojournalism – Code of Ethics. In what way has he violated its rules?
For further context read A New Vision by its Managing Director, Lars Boering following last year’s controversy in relation to Giovanni Trioli who was forced to hand back his prize at the World Press Photo contest for his 10-photo series images “The Dark Heart of Europe,” about gritty town Charleroi in Belgium. Read this article in the New York Times for more information.
As interesting antidote to the critique of McCurry’s images comes from Robert Dannin, Magnum Editorial Director from 1985-90 during those years when these images were made. His repsonse raises more questions rather than answers — about Magnum Photos and its members, about National Geographic, and about the picture-agency business and its relationship to periodicals, book publishers, and other licensees. Read here on the blog: Photocritic International
Here are two brilliant articles by writers, academics and photographers. On his blog, Conscientious Photography Magazine, Jörg M. Colberg takes a reflective view on the McCurry scandal and asks:
“And what does it tell us about ourselves? What does it tell us about how we like to get the world presented? This is where each and every discussion of some “manipulation” scandals has completely and utterly failed to do anything meaningful: sure, you can pretend that photojournalists are those independent voices that solely determine both what’s in the pictures and what those pictures look like. But seriously, that’s as infantilizing as it is insulting — both to the photographers in question and to us as the larger audience.”
On his blog Dispothic, Lewis Bush questions the burden of truth that has come to define much photojournalism since the invention of photography, as Bush puts it, “The technology of photography was born in a century fixated on empiricism and on the belief that witnessing was the path to knowledge.” Bush concludes that the only way forward for documentary photography is to
“It is a burden of truth which rather than enabling important work often seems often to paralyze photojournalism’s most zealous adherents, leaving them unable to respond to many of the major problems which face the world today. As I wrote recently about the World Press Photo, journalists can no longer believe in the idea of objective photographic vision in an age when so many things that they need to reveal are constructed exactly to exploit or defy exactly such ways of thinking and seeing. Instead they need to embrace alternative forms of seeing and storytelling, ones where the potential for revelation lies in partly a readiness to embrace difference, subjectivity and in a rejection of simple ethical binaries and moral black and whites.”
Question: Consider if the notion of photographic truth is still relevant in a world where camera phones and digital technology allows everyone to be a photographer and to record daily life and human interaction?
Ethics In Photography
People began to look more closely at Steve McCurry work and a number of more serious and urgent questions were raised which in the end became a full blown scandal revealing methods used by McCurry in constructing his iconic images that goes against standards and ethics in documentary photography and photojournalism. This led to Steve McCurry, losing his good reputation of being a well established photographer, which led to his career in photography coming to an end. One of the publics major problems with Steve McCurry was his use of Photoshop to manipulate photos. An example of this was the botched print photographers had seen at a show in Italy, it was first spotted by Paolo Vigione and he posted about it on his own blog.
He has noticed the manipulation, which had taken place in the photograph, which had left the bottom bit of the yellow pole where the man’s foot and leg should have been. It was clear he has moved the man back and reconstructed the pole, however hadn’t returned to the person after to eliminate any smudges, which in this case was the pole that comes out of his leg and perhaps reconstructed what was missing, such as his foot. Viglione says he ” Had no intention to attack McCurry, he simply wanted to show something ‘Strange’, even a little “fun” that he had seen. He even removed the post after it took off, but the public had already formed an opinion.
The original photograph was also removed from Steve’s website , people and publications across the Web quickly began digging to see what other McCurry images they could find that had been seriously altered. They did not seem to come up empty handed.
The two versions of an image below were found on Mr. McCurry’s website itself (the photos are linked to their sources), and our anonymous tipster told us the shot has been removed from the Magnum website. Notice the missing player in the second image:
Steve McCurry is known for staging his shoots by arranging models and props, creating a scene that fits in with a certain construction and representation of a certain stereotype and exotic version of India.
When Talking about Steve's work Satish Sharma Says: " I am not at all surprised at the digital manipulation (done by him) to create the perfect frame." "I have watched him rig (stage) his pictures. (He) Arranged the subjects (back then) because chromes (slide film) could not be that easily manipulated."
When technology makes it so easy to manipulate images, how much manipulation is acceptable?
There has always been a conflicting discussion/debate in the world of photography, photo manipulation is becoming increasing more popular than before, which is the altering of a photograph using varies methods and techniques to achieve desired results. This could be by simply enhancing the image by adapting the light and colour of the photograph. However, it can also be manipulated by adding or removing objects from the photograph. I feel like this is okay for photographers to adapt their images in any way they want as long as they are not hiding the truth and the real purpose or story. This all depends what the photograph is of, this is because some photo manipulations are considered as forms of artwork while others are frowned upon as unethical, especially if the photograph is used to deceive the public, such as the use of photography for propaganda or to make a place, person or object look better than it is. This is used a lot in fashion photography and the model and celebrity world as their photos are consistently being manipulated to make them look thinner, more tanned, to remove wrinkles etc. I feel this type of manipulation is wrong. If you are adding or changing something, which was not present in the original scene you are then crossing the line from documentary art form into a fictional photograph, if this is used to tell a fictional story and is not claiming to be a true representation then I personally feel this is acceptable. The problem with Steve Mcurry was that he claimed his photographs were true representations of the places he was capturing as he was a documentary photographer. However, his photographs were heavily manipulated, which goes against what documentary photography is about. I think the line between documentary photography and photojournalism is often blurred, Steve McCurry was often considered a photojournalist as his work was featured in non-fiction publications. I believe this is why there was so much controversy when his unedited photos were presented to the public online. In an interview with Time, McCurry claimed that he is a “visual story teller, not a photojournalist” which would make sense if what he is doing is making beautiful images that tell a story of foreign lands rather than accurately documenting life in other countries, which is what he previously stated to do. In a Ted Talks interview, McCurry talks in detail about the context and rawness of each photo and claims to document things as they are. A direct quote being ” I believe that the picture should reflect exactly what you saw and experienced when you took the picture.” It is hard to form a for or against opinion on McCurry’s work and the man as a photographer, despite his seemingly contradicting public statements; because there is no right or wrong way to be a photojournalist or a photographic story teller and there is no one who decides who is and who isn’t either of these things.
With viewers more sophisticated and skeptical than ever before, how can photojournalists and documentary photographers preserve their integrity and maintain trust?
There are some ground rules to photojournalism, these are displayed in the Code of Ethics and rules of entry to the World Press Photo competition. These are not official rules of all photojournalism but they certainly display the wide opinion of what makes a photograph a documentation of truth.
The World Press states that photojournalists:
1. Should be aware of the influence their presence can exert on a scene they photograph, and should resist being misled by staged photo opportunities
2. Must not intentionally contribute to, or alter, the scene they picture by re-enacting or staging events.
3. Must maintain the integrity of the picture by ensuring there are no material changes to content
4. Must ensure captions are accurate
5. Must ensure the editing of a picture story provides an accurate and fair representation of its context.
6. Must be open and transparent about the entire process through which their pictures are made, and be accountable to the World Press Photo Foundation for their practice.
If these rules are broken for a reason, the photographer should maybe post to original photograph on the photographers website as well as the manipulated one, explaining their purpose of the photoshoot and they they chose to manipulate it, writing honest articles as well as providing viewers with honest images.This would be to keep there reputation in tact, this is not an easy job, to find and provide evidence of story’s, as its much easier to lie here and there or to stretch the truth to make the article more interesting or more aesthetically pleasing, doing this could boost your popularity but as documentary photographer Steve Curry who is a well respected photographer praised for his amazing photos found to have staged and manipulated photos which led to all his photos being checked for their integrity and his trust lost. This led to his loss in his career as a world wide photographer. This was because he did not remain faithful to these “rules” by staging and heavily manipulating photographs to the point where he edits out figures and structures and this often results in creating a different and completely false scene. The captions to McCurry’s photographs are often misleading, For example the photograph of a “porter” at a train station is carrying empty suitcases although the caption leads the viewer to believe his a genuine porter carrying full suitcases. McCurry simply creates a situation that can be found elsewhere, so the scene is not completely fabricated but this is an exaggerated version of a real occurrence.
Who sets the boundaries of what defines photojournalism or documentary ethics?
I don’t think there is a definite factor which sets these boundaries nor do I think these boundaries remain the same. I would say society chooses what is acceptable and what isn’t through opinions and expectations. However, this opinion is subjective to change and debate, for example, Gay marriage was seen as wrong from the 1970’s- 1999 whereas now it is accepted in society, which is an example of how opinions and boundaries have changed. This is the same with boundaries in photography as they are ever changing. It is often very difficult to define photojournalism as well as the line between what is ethical and what is not. There is a whole spectrum of forms of photojournalism, varying from those seen in tabloids featuring exaggerated stories of celebrities to unprecedented. There are numerous people and organisations which define a form of standard for photographers and photojournalists to keep in mind when conducting photoshoots and writing articles. The world press Photo website gives a very straight forward guideline or ‘code of ethics’ on for their photography competition as listed above.
The world Press’ photograph contest is an annual competition started in 1955 which covers a number of categories which are to cover pressing issues from around the world such as ‘contemporary issues’, ‘people’, and ‘daily life’. The photographs are judged by a highly acclaimed team of photographers who look for compelling photographs featuring inspiring and influential stories. The code of ethics gives a good example of rules that a good photojournalist would follow and helps the photographers assess the work presented. These rules are in place to promote more authenticity that will also raise a positive awareness and influence into our society. The code of ethics cover a lot of different areas in which a photograph could deceive the viewer such as making sure captions are accurate., often captions of a photograph can change the entire context of a photograph. The codes focus on transparency from the photographer and their work, world Press Photo focuses on a non-bias freedom of speech as well as transparency from photographer to viewer.
Photoshoot 1///Brother
When taking these photos I focused on mainly exploring the idea of isolation. As this was already a large part of Davids personality before the accident. However when the accident happened he did not want to talk to anyone didn’t want to know anyone just wanted to be alone. The David we knew before was no longer there he had changed dramatically. The lone part to his personality had taken over completely. I wanted to capture this change in the photos I took. This is also why I like the photo of him sitting on the bench so much, as it already shows what I was trying to capture. Also by having those words ‘miss me’ on the back of the bench makes it even more prominent. As it’s almost saying he’s a different person to who he was before.
There are photos on this that I will not include in my final product as they do not fit the story I am telling. However, I did like the photos themselves. This is why I included them in this section. The photos I am including in my finals is the one of my brothers eye and the “miss me” photo I talked about previously. I liked the photo of my brothers eye, as its looking away from the camera. It shows a loneliness, this is also captured through the fact that there is only one eye shown.
Philophobia / Autophobia
As I have been generating ideas for my personal study surrounding the idea of relationships within my own life and my own family, I have also generated a few ideas which I believe I could draw into the study at some point to accompany other main ideas.
Although not familiar with the phobia as no one I know has this particular phobia, I believe it to be a very interesting concept which may work quite well as an underpinning theme throughout my project; I have started to research into the phobias of love and lonesomeness and I feel may be able to express these a ceratin way through my own interpretation of them – as this is only what I can do as I don’t know anyone with the fears but believe their relation to my main theme of ‘relationships’ could go hand-in-hand quite well as the two phobias are often scientifically linked with one another also. Although, I don’t have to directly or explicitly make it obvious or known that I am addressing the phobia in my own interpretation of it, it can be a concept that the audience eventuality realise as they progress through the book – or a concept that may be evident to certain people depending on the way they read visual prompts or it may only be noticeable to myself, however, would like to, in some way, represent what I believe a fear of love/loneliness may look like.
However, if I was going to show these phobias in some way in my project, I would have to be careful not offend anyone who may have it but would address it very carefully and very subtly to contrast the idea of cohesion and unity between the people you love – I first came up with the idea after realising the divorce of my parents would make an interesting starting point for a story about love and relationship. Love is such a strong concept that can unify people in ways which we like to think cant be broken but eventually, may become broken – in the process of breaking the people involved in the relationship whether it be romantically or emotionally with a relative. My efforts to re-build a relationship which feels like it has been somewhat lost with my dad also links to this idea.
(Words from fearof.net) The fear of love (or falling in love) phobia is known as Philophobia. The word originates from Greek “filos” which means ‘loving or beloved’. Individuals who suffer from this phobia fear romantic love or forming emotional attachments of any sort. Often this phobia is known to have cultural or religious roots, where the person may have been committed to an arranged marriage and hence fears falling in love.
This phobia is more common in women than in men. The condition can greatly affect one’s life to an extent that it becomes difficult to commit or form healthy relationships. Such people tend to live their lives in solitude.
Philophobia is an unwarranted and an irrational fear of falling in love. Sometimes, the sufferer does fall in love but it causes an intense emotional turmoil in his/her mind. There are many theories why this could happen. Therefore, there is a possibility of falling in love when you are a sufferer of this fear but it may still remain in your mind – the idea that you fear to form any sort of emotional connection with a partner and this may hinder your relationship as a result.
Symptoms may include:
Some people are so afraid of love that they cannot open up to anyone. They do have committed relationships, but cannot maintain any of them.
Their well being often depends on the responses they receive from the person they love. This can keep them high strung and anxious all the time. They may be extremely possessive or, conversely, they may drive away their loved ones with their detachment.
One also experiences severe anxiety owing to the pressures of commitment: restlessness, shallow breathing, rapid heart rate, nausea, chest pains etc are a few physical symptoms that can be attributed to Philophobia.
Panic and anxiety attacks are also common. These can be terrible since the sufferer often feels dizzy, or feels like running away, crying, shaking or sweating profusely or even feels as if s/he is fainting.
Autophobia, also called monophobia, isolophobia, or eremophobia, is the specific phobia of isolation; a morbid fear of being egotistical, or a dread of being alone or isolated. Sufferers need not be physically alone, but just to believe that they are being ignored or unloved.
Autophobia can be associated with or accompanied by several other phobias such as agoraphobia. This means people might be afraid of going out in public, being caught in a crowd, being alone, or being stranded.
Persons suffering from autophobia are unable to do many simple tasks that most can do easily. The fear of being alone also leads to bad relationships as the individual prefers abuse to being left alone – the area in which I believe I can link relationships with these two fears.
Physical symptoms:
Feeling unsteady, experiencing lightheadedness or dizziness
Feeling of choking
Rapid heart rate, palpitations or pounding heart
Sweating
Chest pain and discomfort
Nausea or gastrointestinal distress
Trembling or shaking
Numbness or tingling sensations
As this seems to be a more severe phobia in which sufferers may become suicidal or may begin to self-abuse themselves, OI feel like this may not be as very suitable concept to follow through with and may focus mainly on ‘Philophobia’ as I feel like I could represent this in a more interesting and abstract manner by using my knowledge of love and its power and then transferring this to a direct oppostite.