Photography and ethic

 

Photojournalistic images and art images are in their nature different. Journalists find themselves trying to share truth and newsworthy information through simple images. While art photographers are not held to such limitations and are not expected to present honesty, while they can they are not limited to the ethics photojournalists are bound by. “Most of the media around the globe believe that [journalistic] photography in the media should receive the same treatment as words: no manipulations in any ways are allowed, the visual and verbal part of the story must be accurate and fact-based and must portray reality.” (Icevska, p.3) While art photography can encompass journalistic photographs, it is a sub-genre that has its own set of rules just as other photographic sub genres have guidelines.

 

Art photography has fewer ethical rules to follow; while still respecting the subject’s rights the artist has more power over their final product. Art photography has no ethical obligation to not edit their photographs as they are not obliged to speak the truth through their photographs but perhaps create beauty or a social statement. It has become common in many forms of photography to perform ‘touch-ups’ in post editing, which gives the photographer more control over their subject. 

 

Press photography has a sort of ethical code they should follow to be considered a reputable source for the public media. While there are fewer over-arching guidelines the National Press Photographers Association, the NPPA, has created a very thorough code of ethics for press photographers to refer to. While some of their rules could be common sense for example; “4. Treat all subjects with respect and dignity. Give special consideration to vulnerable subjects and compassion to victims of crime or tragedy. Intrude on private moments of grief only when the public has an overriding and justifiable need to see.” (NPPA, 2012). It is an excellent guideline for new photographers in the field while adding support for veterans. 

 

While art photography and photojournalism differ in many ways both do have an effect on their audiences. “Photographic and video images can reveal great truths, expose wrongdoing and neglect, inspire hope and understanding and connect people around the globe through the language of visual understanding”. (NPPA, 2012) While they differ in their ethical and communicatory goals they can both change someones opinion on a subject and influence their lives. I find it interesting many people believe that photojournalism must accompany a news story, or some sort of explanation, but it is my belief that simply photo essays convey such a strong unspoken message that it makes further explanation unnecessary. So while different in ethics and biases, both art photography and photojournalism do convey important messages to their audience. 

Press Photography 

 Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, Sep2012, Vol. 13 Issue 3, p429-437, 9p, 8 Black and White Photographs
Black and White Photograph; found on p432 

 

Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, Sep2012, Vol. 13 Issue 3, p429-437, 9p, 8 Black and White Photographs
Black and White Photograph; found on p433 

Art Photography

 Taken by me.

Taken by me.

Works Cited

Icevska, G. S. SHOOTING THE TRUTH: HOW PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE MEDIA BETRAY           US. Ma thesis. Retrieved October 26, 2014, from https://drive.google.com/viewerng  
          /viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxzaG9vdGluZ

NPPA Code of Ethics. (2012). National Press Photographers Association. Retrieved October 26,