Why ethical photography matters

People talk about ethics in various facets of life, including the practice of modern photography. Photography ethics is a body of principles guiding how we take as well as share photos, and they are a reflection of respect for your subjects and the communities you document. Photography student Janique Goff Madison dives deeper into it.

First and foremost, note that ethics change from one context to another, which means that what might be ethical where you are may not be ethical in another city or country. Ethics in photography governs areas such as research, request consent, respect for subjects, contextualization, and privacy and confidentiality.

Practicing ethical photography proves important both on the personal and industry-wide level. Since images help shape our view of the world, it comes with a certain responsibility, which is to depict subjects and other elements of the photo environment as truthfully and respectfully as possible. How you use photography also echoes the integrity of the industry as one entity.

Ethical photography also prevents undesirable acts and practices from taking place, added Janique Goff Madison. Image theft and plagiarism, for instance, are relevant issues given the billions of photos available and widely circulated all over the internet today. Ethics also set healthy parameters when it comes to image manipulation, photojournalism, portraiture and fashion photography, and nature photography, to name a few.

Wherever you are, ethics helps determine what is acceptable and what is not in the practice of photography. While it comes with difficult questions, those questions are worth asking and discussing anyway for the long term.

Janique Goff Madison is a photography student, volunteer, nature lover, textile enthusiast, and dog lover currently attending San Diego State University. Learn more about her work on this page.