THE ETHICS OF STREET SHOOTING
There’s a fine line between freedom of expression and the ethics of photographing the public
As a street photographer, you may have a biased view of the issue of ethics in street photography. Am I invading a stranger’s privacy with my camera? Am I being ‘voyeuristic’, or a stalker? It is not that straightforward. Looking back on the history of street photography, it appears that consent or ethics was not an early problem – it is a modern phenomenon. For example, the practice of photographing children in the
21st century without permission can be seen as an issue. From a parent’s point of view, I can understand their natural concerns. As a photographer, I can look through the classic works of Henri Cartier-Bresson, and I think it would be a shame if that type of work did not exist or continue. Can the innocence and fun of children not just be enjoyed without too much paranoia? It is sad that we are often viewed with suspicion when we are just celebrating the joys of everyday candid life. A broader argument could be made for how ethical it is to photograph anyone at all without permission. Thankfully in the
UK, the law protects photographing people in public as freedom of expression. In other countries in Europe such as France, there are ‘soft laws’ that protect people. When a street photographer abuses the law, this, of course, gives all street photographers a bad reputation, which is not great for the genre. I understand how sometimes to pursue a good shot a certain level of assertiveness is needed, but you have to draw a line somewhere. Practitioners of street photography have differing approaches to ethics in their work. Within my circle of photographer friends, shots of homeless people or those less advantaged are generally frowned upon, unless taken with permission for a special project. We are all different and have our own ethical guidelines to shoot by, so there will never be one united opinion. There will always be people who definitely go too far and give the genre a bad name, but most street photographers are decent ethical people. How we deal with the people we photograph can help overcome any ethical concerns people have, because most people photograph for a positive reason – they like something about a person or a scene.