R.G. Loc: Scotland

Good luck with the tutoring.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

As a professional photojournalist for more than 30 years, I'd like to weigh in here. I was mostly a videographer, but occasionally did stills work as well, and worked next to some of the best in Asia and Europe.

This is a very nuanced topic, and admits of no easy answers. Every reputable organization has editors whose responsibility it is to follow journalistic ethics, though few do strictly on any side.

The objective is to present a realistic view of an event, such as an observer would have if they had been there. There are a number of problems with this. First, no situation is static, and a still photo can only present a moment frozen in time. Second, a photo can include only a narrow field of view (unless it is 360 degrees). A viewer has no idea what was happening outside of frame. So in any case there is going to be some bias. How to decide how much bias is too much bias is often difficult.

The only hard and fast rule is that no pixel within a photograph should be altered. Nothing should be added or removed. The only exception here is retouching defects--in the past spotting, and now removing spots from on a dirty sensor, for instance. Nothing actually in the scene should be changed.

A second question, less clear, is about cropping. Obviously a photo cannot encompass a whole scene, but what is chosen should be in context. An obvious example would be to have a picture of a person with a famous landmark behind them, when in reality they are standing in front of a poster in an airport. Another example might be a picture represented as a riot, in which two people are shown in dramatic poses as if in a pitched battle, when the scene actually was of two people posing while all their friends sat around on the grass and cheered them on. You could say that both these photos were accurate representations of an event, but without context, the photos are misleading.

In answer to your first question: in my world it is no problem to stand at a distance and record a scene unfolding. Actually, there is no way that anyone can pretend to be in the thick of it when they are not, since the perspective with a tele lens is very different from that with a wide up close. Nor is there any reason for a photographer to be in the middle of the action, as long as what they record from a distance is an accurate portrayal of an event. When I used to cover riots in China and Korea, for instance, I (almost) always kept my distance, especially since the presence of the photographer can affect the event itself. Better to remain as invisible as possible when doing journalistic work. Of course it is true that the compression of a tele lens can give an impression that there are more people in a given space than there really are. Here again, a decision has to be made as to whether the compression is simply bringing more elements of an accurate representation of a scene together in a frame, with less useless space, or whether the intent is to mislead, for example to suggest that a crowd is more packed than it actually is.

Photographs are often chosen for their dramatic impact. Cropping elements out that dilute that impact is expected, just as cropping unnecessary space in an artistic photograph is expected. The same goes for framing. The photograph should be as compelling and well composed as possible as long as the context is present.

And so I would say that tonal alteration is acceptable as long as it does not give a false impression. For instance, it is acceptable to lighten faces in shadow somewhat for the sake of visibility. It is not acceptable to darken a whole photograph and lighten the face so that it stands out in a way that obviously draws the eye to that element. Likewise with storm clouds. It is acceptable to bring down highlights in order to bring out detail, but it clearly is not acceptable to highly accentuate the contrast of the clouds as compared to the ground. The rule of thumb here is that adjustments should be global. Darken all or lighten all. Bring down all highlight or bring up all shadows. Any local alteration that materially changes the feeling of the photo, and is not simply for the purpose of revealing information already there should be avoided.

Hope this adds to the dialog.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Thank you Toby for your insightful and very applicable comments. I will add them along with others to have at hand to guide discussion.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Larry Page as a career educator in both public and private classrooms over many decades I commend you for soliciting input from others within the industry, albeit have you carefully considered that photojournalist are virtually a vanishing entity... Video dominates now as I'm certain you may be aware. That said I find great joy seeing the epic works of Henri Cartier-Bresson et. al. the fathers of photojournalism... wonderful days of future past...

However I truly want to contribute here albeit my personal ethical mantra is "1. Is it true? 2. Is it relevant? and most importantly 3. Is it kind?" Please ponder the following in an objective manner since emotions may be running high about anything that reminds individuals of a catastrophic crisis that grips this nation.

First and foremost your course would benefit from an open and objective discussion of the United States Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act a.k.a. HIPAA and it's impact on all forms of photography. Sadly their are unfortunately many on UHH who may challenge this as a violation of the first amendment to the constitution. That discussion belongs in UHH's attic in my humble estimation.

Second a far more pressing issue is the reality that Texas now has 7,471 covid19 deaths with 268 covid19 deaths recorded yesterday. Why did it take so many deaths for Texas' political leader(s) to realize that this may not be a hoax? Are you concerned about the implications of beginning a class on photojournalism at this juncture? Larry Page as I write this short-staffed hospitals in Midland and Odessa are turning away ailing COVID-19 patients from rural West Texas facilities since they currently can’t offer the care they need. Why is Texas surging? Do we as an educated society need the voice of socially responsible individuals championing staying safe, social distancing, and wearing a mask while in public? The Texas Education Agency has recently announced that schools must offer in-person schooling this fall.

Larry in the immoral words of Jack Swigert “Okay, Houston, we have a problem here.”
Right now Houston and the entire Lone Star State has a problem of epic proportions...
Please grab an oar and pull Larry in a socially responsible manner, this may not be an opportune time for denial..

Please stay safe and all the best on your academic journey Mr. Page

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Well, Larry, up to this point, my only reply was addressing cell phone photographers and the instant 'fame' putting anything on the web can bring. As for me, I've done freelance work since the late 60s. I covered Viet Nam protests, varied student unrest, fires, accidents, mass arrests, etc. The vast majority of those photographs were taken with my constant companion, a Nikon F with a 50mm lens. My intent was to accurately record what was within the frame of the camera. If people were at an event and within the frame, they got photographed.

My approach was and still is, if you didn't want your photo taken, you shouldn't have been there. My photographs were printed straight, no burning or dodging, etc. Good tonality across the board without enhancements. I didn't try to make something spectacular that wasn't. If it was spectacular, it got photographed that way. I followed Robert Capa's advice regarding being close to the subject. At one unoccupied house fire, I was so close that the front of my rubber lens shade slightly melted. My only goal was to be truthful with recording important newsworthy subject matter. Sometimes, closeness can stress its importance.

In many cases, I was emotionally moved by what I photographed but oddly only after all was said, done and the photographs delivered to the clearing house through which I worked. It was sort of the day after effect. If it was something tragic, that was secondary to getting the photographs. I reflected on that after I was finished. During the event, I was simply part of the camera and held as much emotion about the event. I was simply a recording device. Even today, if I come across a newsworthy event, I slip into that same mode of operation. Capture and portray honestly what is happening and tell that story.
--Bob

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

The school where I will be doing this is in a district that is beginning the year with 100% distant learning. I will not be in a classroom with any kids.

To other posters...this has to this point been a very constructive discussion of ethics in photography. I would ask that it please be kept to that subject. If it veers off the intended track, I will be asking that the entire discussion be deleted.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

This is an interesting addition to the conversation. Your personal mantra may work for you, but it's not going to amount to much in photojournalism. Points 1 and 2 are definitely important when it comes to presenting a photographic record of a newsworthy event. As for number 3, that limits your journalistic efforts to church bake sales and the like. By comparison, see how many journalist photographers adhere to your "is it kind" approach. For instance, check the works of David Douglas Duncan, Robert Capa, Larry Burroughs, etc. Most events that make the news aren't kind.

I, and probably plenty of others, would love to have you expand on how HIPPA and the Covid stats in Texas have anything to do with journalistic photography, in other than the remotest of ways.
--Bob

Vlemasters

Long lens’s are fine in my opinion. Don’t know if they still do it but reporters have been known to use green screens to make them look like they are someplace they aren’t. That is too far in my opinion.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Thomas, in light of Larry's request here, I'll rescind my request for you to elaborate on how those subjects are related to journalistic photography.
--Bob

Rae Zimmerman Loc: Pine Island, FL

I would add teaching ethics when photographing wildlife and birds. Staying far enough away to avoid distressing the animal or bird. Consideration to giving away/reporting exact locations of images captured. Audobon Society has written extensively and with authority on this.

Rae Zimmerman Loc: Pine Island, FL

I would add teaching ethics when photographing wildlife and birds. Staying far enough away to avoid distressing the animal or bird. Consideration to giving away/reporting exact locations of images captured. Audobon Society has written extensively and with authority on this.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

There have been many good contributions to this thread- all valid but perhaps too sophisticated and technical for the course of study and the project at hand.

You have a very limited window of opportunity to impart a mountain of knowledge and may be further encumbered by the virtual learning situation brought about by the pandemic. My suggestion is the old KIS theory, which is to keep it simple and use a very instructional "nuts and bolt" approach. These kids are smart, educated, and alert so the can connect the dots and fill in any gaps.The will pick up on he vibe and the philosophy!

I have absolutely NO pedagogical training, teacher's education, or theoretical knowledge oif lesson planning, nonetheless, by default, I found myself training rookies as my role as a specialist in the army, and later on having to train wedding and portrait photographer in comparatively short space of time. So here's my advice.

You will find kids with different levels of knowledge of technical photography and access to equipment. The most impactful usage of images in journalism is TELLING THE STORY. That's where the emphasis should be.
Avoid getting them hung up on gear. A smart kid with a cellphone camera can do as well at storytelling as one with an advanced DSLR or mirrorless camera. Teach them how to convert words to visual media. Talk about capturing mood, emotion, spontaneity, action, and how to anticipate action and get ready to shoot at the peak of action or expression. Tell them to make believe that they have to illustrate a happening or story as if there were no captions or copy and stress the old adage that a PICTURE is worth thousands of words.

Hopefully, they will not be covering violent demonstrations, dangerous fires or explosions, or natural disasters or will be operating in a war zone. There are investigative photojournalists that have risked their lives, have sustained injuries, and even died while pursuing a story- at this stage of their life, the should not do that and remain safe. Peaceful demonstrations are an important topic nowadays but instruct them to remain on the side of caution and safety and avoid crowds or any potentially violent outbursts. Perhaps working in teams woud be a safer policy-perhaps a photographer and a reporter working on a story. Maskig up is the order of the day and a bottle of hand sanitizer is required gear.

Tell them to think about the READER. The average reader is not an aficionado of technical photography- they will not necessarily be able to determine what focal length was used or where the photographer was located or distanced- if the picture tells the story and contains visual impact is what counts.

When I worked on the paper, a colleague of mine had a propensity for walking out on the field during Rugby matches and jumping onto the infield at rodeos. His pictures garnered many international press awards but he was banned from many professional sports events- they pulled his credentials. I think he had a death wish!

Nuts and bolts! Fumbling with complex equipment will cost spontaneous pictures. For the kids that can manage exposure control and camera handlig- that's great. For those who can't mange all the technobabble, the "P" mode and a cell phone camera is perfectly OK. The readers won't care! For those who are more technically savvy, a shot course in or review of the exposure triangel, depht of field, using flash to freeze sports action and a few tips on composition may be in order.

Some readers are auditories- they are mainly influenced by what they hear or read in the text. Others are visuals and respond mostly by what they see. Some are kinostethics- the need to feel, smell or touch things to react. So, if you can provied impactful images, you can effectively tell the story to a wide variety of folks. You may want to shock or attract the auditories into examining the pictures, include texture, depth, and tactility in the images to appeal to the kinesthetics and the visuals will take care of themselves.

Not all photojournalism and news photography is high action, celebrity events, glamor, and/or chaos- some of it is rather pedestrian. Folks gather for a ribbin cutting, shovels in the groud ceremonies, check presentation at charitable events- the stand there grin and eyeball the cameras (grip and grin before hand-shaking was taboo). Tell the kids to look for expression and animated moments during routine speeches, folks relating to each other, poignant moments, and joyous outbursts. Sometimes something funny, humorous or silly adds comic relief and humanizes an otherwise routine event coverage.

Keep us in the loop and tell us how the kids react. Excuse my calling them "kids"- I'm an old guy with a gray beard so anyone under 50 is a kid

dat2ra Loc: Sacramento

This has been already said, but thank you for incorporating this topic and our thoughts into your course.

Insp Gadget Loc: St Louis area

I guess I'm confused as to why it matters how dangerous it to get a photo when reporting on a written story. The goal is to tell the story Right? Now live video might be a different ethics. For example., the fairly recent reporting on a hurricane where the reporter/meteorologist was struggling to stand while two people behind him were walking normally and carrying on a conversation. Not sure if this helps. I suppose what I'm saying is that it depends on what you are trying to portray.

profbowman Loc: Harrisonburg, VA, USA

I, too, am glad "students" are being exposed to the topic of ethics for photographers and journalism.

I have just too comments, but they might get long.

1. Part of such a course to make us aware of ethical issues that we did not know were issues of concern. So, don't trust our gut feelings but if our gut is worried, then we probably should not do it.

One issue that photojournalist do not seem to realize or they ignore it. That is, that long lenses "lie." That is. long lenses compress distances in depth. So, I have seen pictures of demonstrations taken with long lenses, and the people look packed in and sometimes this makes the protest look more "dangerous" than it was.

2. You may be planning on doing this, but do acquaint your class with when model releases (including how to handle releases for children which is more involved). Any human is a model needing a release unless the photo is used for "editorial" purposes. There are also property releases, vintage image releases, etc. The support section of Shutterstock has good resources on this topic, but so do other places. When I have been in majority world countries (years ago called third world), I always ask peo0ple if I can take their photo before taking their picture. One time in Guatemala, a young girl wanted me to pay to take the picture of her weighing out vegetables she was selling to us. I wanted the photo, so I paid the quarter or some such amount.

In Albania all of the people I asked said I could photograph them with a smile. But be careful in stores. Outside of a Tirana supermarket in a mall, I tried to take a picture to document that such places existed, and I almost got physically busted by a store security person. So, my camera went away quickly in my bag.

Also, photographing embassy buildings, even US ones, in some countries can result in a confrontation with security personnel as my wife can tell about her taking a picture of the US embassy in Belize from the road outside the gates. Even here in the US there are some tight practices by some firms. I have never been stopped from taking train photos even when I get close to track in the trainyard here in our town in Virginia. But when I tried to get close to a small transfer engine on the tracks at a feed mill, I was quite quickly chased off of the property by an angry plant boss. So, since streets in the US are usually considered public property, I took the photo from the street.

So, be careful and error on the side of prudence unless you are willing to defend yourself in a courtroom and that maybe not in you country of citizenship. Research what you can, talk to careful and knowledgeable photographers that know the place you will be. But even experiencede photographers might not really know the law and the practice.

[an edit] BTW, I should have clarified that in many US cities sidewalks might be considered public property but not the streets. Be very careful or you can be arrested for jay walking if you cross the street in the middle of a block instead of at the crosswalks. In some cities, jay waling is ignored, but in others the book may be thrown at you if the local officials do not like your journalistic perspective. With respect to my feed mill experience, I took the picture from the grass right beside the curbing on the street since there were no sidewalks.