On ‘Exploitation’ in Photography

Street photographer Simon King offers thoughts on the concept of “exploitation” in the world of photography.

The problem of exploitation in photography is a topic I see trending particularly toward dogmatic and cyclical patterns. Exploitation in photography is broadly the photographers’ “unfair” use of depictions they include in their photographs (people, places, events, etc) for their selfish benefit or at least a benefit that does not reach their subjects.

Why Discourse on Ethical Photography Matters

Street photographer Simon King shares thoughts about why it is important to have a healthy discourse on ethical photography.

With this understanding, the common tendency to fault discussions about ethics in photography is quite odd. Why wouldn’t you want to understand the possible obligations that come with powerful photography? What is the mindset behind arguing against taking responsibility for what you are creating?

Q&A: Fred Ritchin on AI and the threat to photojournalism no one is talking about

In recent years, artificial intelligence engineers have used millions of real photographs—taken by journalists all over the world, and without those journalists’ permission—to train new imaging software to create synthetic photojournalism. Now anyone can prompt AI software like OpenAI’s DALL-E to generate convincing images of people or places that never existed, and of events that […]

The other thing to add to the puzzle is, if you start making millions of synthetic images, then the new AI will be training on those images as well. The concept of history will become more and more distorted, because they’ll be training on the images that are not made by cameras, but made according to the way people want to see the world. What happens if people have five million images of World War II according to the way they want the war to look, and they look like photographs, so that’s what the AI is going to be training on in the future?

From Sandy Hook to Uvalde, the Violent Images Never Seen

Frustrated Americans ask whether the release of graphic photos of gun violence would lead to better policy. But which photos, and who decides?

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/30/us/politics/photos-uvalde.html

“What makes this a challenging ethics call is that when you’re a photo editor, you never really do know which is the photograph that is going to seem exploitative, and what image will touch the conscience of people and move the needle on the debate.”

AP Cancels NFT Sale Amid Criticisms it Would Be Profiting From Suffering

“Profiting from suffering”

After significant backlash, the Associated Press pulled plans to offer a video of a boat overcrowded with migrants as an NFT. The situation has called into question the ethics of selling photojournalism at all.

There obviously is a topic here that extends beyond this particular case in question. Last year, I wrote an article about consent that focused on what I see as photographers’ obligations. It might be worthwhile, though, to approach the subject matter from the other side: from the vantage point of those find themselves on the other side of the camera.

While turning the camera inward may alleviate ethical qualms about positionality, the influence of one’s identity on the way that we see (and thus represent) the world, photographing the people closest to us is not without ethical considerations of its own. As photojournalist and filmmaker, Amanda Mustard explains: “It’s a gift to have the perspective and personal experiences that allow access to important stories that may not be told with depth otherwise. But with greater depth comes the need for greater ethical care.”