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“Looking forward to group conf call with CORE today ref: Photos, ethics, values and INGO/NGO work.
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This morning I participated in a massive conference call about photography in aid and development, and the ethics and values that surround photos taken and used by NGOs. The call was organized by CORE Group (@coregroupdc). Now maybe I’m exaggerating here, but the call organizer, Ann Hendrix-Jenkins, read off a list of participants that went on forever. I’m estimating that there were something like 40 or 50 people listening in from as many organizations. This topic has always been important for a strong segment of NGO staff and it seems to be gaining steam again.After I started tweeting about it, a couple of people asked if I’d be writing a blog post. So here it is. I’ve ‘Storified’ it since I was tweeting instead of taking notes, and because there was a nice side conversation happening with folks on Twitter too. (See the Storify here – it looks a little bit nicer there than it does here.)
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““Humanitarian photography is a hot button issue.Touches on dignity, how we do our jobs, & our ideas about ourselves, others & our work.”
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The call organizers had earlier conducted a survey about NGO images, policies, consent, and operational processes around photographers and photography and shared it with participants ahead of the call. The organizers also suggested a couple of links to check out beforehand, including an Aid Watch post (“Adorable child in NGO fund-raising photo sues for royalties“) and a link to a photo that appeared in the New York Times. These two links and other similar “poverty porn images” had sparked the discussions that led to the decision to organize today’s call. [update: here is the original discussion thread on Linked In]
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“Jeez – like 50 orgs on this CORE call re: photography, ethics and values. Discussing: @aidwatch post ht.ly/a3gYA & more
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“I’m reminded that these discussions happen all the time among INGOs, even when they are not documented on Twitter or a blog.
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“Second photo touching off this conversation is NYT image from last year re Somalia famine. ht.ly/a3i0s #povertyporn
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“Also reminded that blogs can and do touch off broader and wider discussions that often we never know are happening….
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“@meowtree Shoot, I forgot about the call! Are you going to write a post about it?
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Laura Pohl (@lauraepohl) from Bread for the World gave a short introduction to the topic along with some points to think about.
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“What considerations do NGOs (and journos/freelancers) need to go through before publishing a photo? Appropriate use? Consent? What else?
- After this introduction, Jim Stipe from Catholic Relief Services gave a quick summary of the survey highlights, and we had a group discussion around some of the key issues detected in the survey and additional ones sourced from the participants on the call.
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“Heartening to know most INGOs have photo policies saying images must show dignity, & image usage is restricted/protected to some staff.
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“Hearing: INGOs don’t seem to have policies stating photo must match/relate to/be part of story or have policies re: copyright of photos.
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“Hearing: often pgm staff are taking photos, but many INGOs don’t train staff on policies or good techs for photos or on photo ethics.
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“Hearing: What about consent for photos? We need to discuss this much more. It’s key to a good photo policy.
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“@meowtree Unable to keep up today, busy. But have you asked @irinnews input? I use their photo service. Will catch up soon. Thanks for topic
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“My question: what is ‘informed consent’? what are different ways to get it? how to ensure ppl rlly understand use of their image and story?
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“@meowtree you can’t ensure that ppl understand use of their image unless they know context in which it will be used & understand its nuances
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“Re: informed consent – how not to intimidate ppl with consent forms? Also – shd we be applying US consent laws to local settings? or not?
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“@meowtree @jcdonner thanks brilliant, parallel questions for researchers being encouraged in IDRC SIRCAII programme, spread it
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“Also: how does consent differ when children/under 18s are involved? what about difference btwn traditional and social media use of images?
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“@meowtree What I learned from ethnography: entirely contextual and subjective. Even when you’ve succeeded, you’ve failed. But you must try
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“Someone asks: What about before and after pictures in the case of malnutrition? is it better to show the “after” picture to show progress?
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“Another Q: what about when working with images of people in conflict settings? where use of their images may endanger them?
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“Comment: Takes a lot more ppl, resources and planning than we think to do this right. We seldom put enough emphasis on ethical image/video.
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“@meowtree In the West we focus on “informed consent” re: the individual–but in other cultures, the community consent is more important
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“.@meowtree good discussion of photos in #ict4d vs journalism here is.gd/G4oGsC
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“Comment: Need to work with US media also to help have more ethical use of images.
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“Re. #povertyporn conversation @meowtree is tweeting: all humanitarian/devt agencies should have comms ombudspersons to defend those depicted
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“@meowtree I’ve always found Photovoice UK’s ethical guidelines useful in regard to some the issues at your discussion photovoice.org/images/uplo…
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“[ 1] MT @meowtree Comment: Takes a lot more ppl, resources, planning than we think… We seldom put enough emphasis on ethical image/video
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“Interesting commentary on INGO photo policies & the ethics of humanitarian photography by @meowtree.
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“@meowtree @giantpandinha I really like the ombudspersons idea but they would need to be local?
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“@miskellaneous @meowtree Anybody with an empathetic impulse would be a good start. But yes, eventually, why not local?
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“@meowtree photos and ethics such a big topic. I find the whole issue of people coming back from mission trips and volunteering with these
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“@meowtree photos equally disturbing. Take a snap of a poor kid and then put on facebook – where’s the dignity and ethics in that? Volunteer
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“@meowtree eduction is equally important, but so hard!! At the very least, if you wouldnt want a similar image of your mum/child/bro etc to
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“@meowtree be shown are the world or usesd in the same way, then think twice. (this concept doesnt go down well when I mention it to people).
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“.@meowtree One challenge – a Western audience that is eager to consume #povertyporn. Many INGOs seek to reach out to that audience.
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“Comment: tension btwn fundraising people, program people. What is the concept of what the org is doing? Charity? solidarity?
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“@meowtree @miskellaneous I find the “golden rule” goes a long way. Would I want my child, my niece/nephew depicted this way? Ever?
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“@giantpandinha @meowtree yes it’s my golden rule too though there are somethings it misses like cultural understandings of modesty
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“@miskellaneous @meowtree I remember a moment with my agency’s graphic designers when we cropped a woman’s belly peaking out from her t-shirt
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“@miskellaneous @meowtree Again, the golden rule worked there. (But you are right @miskellaneous, might not work in every situation.)
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“Comment: can we look at studies on the use of photos and impact on donors & learn. Also look at ethics vs what works w fundraising?
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“Comment (mine) and what about participatory media? How often do we promote people’s own photos/videos of themselves/their communities?
To finalize the call, we heard a summary from Jim of some of the areas that the group could consider forming smaller groups to dig into and work on further, including:
- Issues around consent, alternative ways to obtain consent, release forms, and how to get truly informed consent.
- Ethics of both taking photos and ethics of using photos – these are related yet separate issues.
- What makes for a good NGO photo? What’s a good vs bad photo? What works and what doesn’t?
- How do you grow your options for getting more high quality photos? How to train your staff on good photography? How to find and work with good freelance photographers? How to plan out a shoot and put the right amount of time into it? How to ensure photos are taken ethically?
- Creating a photo policy, what does a good photo policy look like? what should it contain?
- How to tell better stories? You can document your programs with photos and you can tell visual stories – these are 2 different things….
- Getting good photo captions. If you don’t have good captions, photos are less useful.
- Other places to source photos; eg., if you don’t have the photos you need, where can you go to get them?
- Photo journalism vs NGO photography – similar yet different, different approaches and goals. Let’s discuss this.
- Vocabulary for talking about photos in order to articulate to staff why one photo better than another. Turning gut sense into language and tools.
- Looking at studies on the use of photos and their impact on donors, what can we learn from that? How to reconcile the different set of ethics that we may find in terms of ‘what works’ for fundraising and what is ethical?
- What about participatory media and people portraying themselves and their own images
- An Ombudsperson within INGOs who can defend the rights of those being photographed
- The question of how people perceive you when you go from doing program work to becoming a photographer in the same afternoon.
- The related question about what happens when your organization makes you do both things? Who owns the photos? Do you get paid if your organization uses them? What if you are using your own equipment? How is your organization using you if that’s not your job in the first place? What are you expected to do and how much of this should you actually be doing?
- Budgeting. We need to begin inserting budget into the conversation. How much can we pay photographers, or do we invest in training our own staff?
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“Well pointed out by @miskellaneous: our “golden rule” re. depiction of “the Other” sometimes “misses cultural understandings of modesty”.
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“However, I still believe some “golden rule” is better than none, and the bottom line should be: err on the side of caution.
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“Comment: What about when you’re asked to be both a “program” person and also take comms/PR photos? How does community view you?
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“Comment: what are the rules when your focus is pgm, but ‘photographer’ is added to your task list before you go out to ‘the field’?
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“@meowtree @julienne_l I work with youth and struggle with this a lot. How do you keep integrity and get ppl to pay attention? #povertyporn
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I’m looking forward to continuing the discussions as this is an issue that constantly jumps out at me. It’s fantastic to know that there is such a strong contingent of NGO staff who are keen to address the issues around how we take and how we use photographs of the people that we work with.
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“That’s it for tweets from @coregroupdc conversation on #povertyporn, photos, ethics and values. More later – discussions will continue.
Wait... What? 
[…] Read the original here: On the ethics of photos in aid and development work […]
Thanks so much for sharing this discussion! It’s great to see this kind of thinking and debate happening within and between INGOs, as it shows that we’re taking this issue seriously, even if we’re still not quite sure how to meet the challenges outlined above.
I think another important (albeit no less complex) piece to keep in mind is public education – how do we (and, my skeptical brain asks, can we?) get the public to think more critically about the images they’re seeing, question the comprehensiveness of those representations, and object if they’re inappropriate?
I hate the pictures these organizations take. They find people in horrible conditions and turn them into a museum piece. Show me something good you’re doing despite the conditions and I’ll support it. Don’t try to get money out of some innocent person’s poverty or distress.
I think one of the largest problems with these photographs is that they tend to distance the viewer from the problem. You see a photo (especially if it is in horrible conditions) and immediately separate yourself from the situation. It is only natural for our brains to distance ourselves from a horrible circumstance, especially when it is in a form that only engages one of our senses. Simply taking photos of horrendous situations is not any sort of solution. I along with most of the viewers, would much rather see photos of development progress, work accomplished, houses built, etc. I just do not believe that simply showing a disturbing photo accomplishes anything in relation to development. Photographs are necessary, yes, but only in the context of showing why the viewer can see progress being made.
Part of the issue that needs to be considered is the impact these pictures have in the donor countries, on the relationship between the majority mainly white population and the ethnic minority (black/African) groups. To what extend does images of starving, mainly Africans, perpetuate racism, labelling and stereotyping in western society and indeed globally? I travel a lot on London public transport and generally hate seeing these pictures. My reaction is partly based on a feeling of shame and powerlessness and partly anger; the why always Africans feeling. But it is also connected with me questioning the relevance and necessity of these pictures and thinking that this is poverty tourism and patronising.
The reality is, if they are effective tools in ensuring lives are saved and transformed then they, unfortunately, have to be used. Moreover, as a Londoner living in relative comfort (compared with most people in the developing world), I am not really in a position to condemn their use, if they are effective.
It will be good to carry out a research to actually assess their effectiveness vis – a – vis non – graphic images.(Most likely a picture of a well fed African will have less of an impact on prospective donors)
Also, I think it is important to seek advice and input from all stakeholders including the community whose images are being displayed. Reaction in Uganda and online, among the Ugandan community , to the Kony video, showed that good intentions is not enough and indeed could sometimes be misplaced or have a negative impact.
Very interesting! I work as a photographer for a lot of different NGO’s… and the majority of my clients prefer less ‘hopeless’ and graphic images, and more storytelling images depicting the life and progress. In terms of permission, I take that as my responsibility as a photographer to ensure that anyone being photographed fully understands (most of the time this is done with a translator to ensure full understanding) what the images being taken could possibly be used for, including an explanation of just how far ‘online’ images can reach these days. It can be hard sometimes to explain what the internet is to remote communities who have never seen a computer! Most of the NGO’s I work with are really conscious of working with me to make sure people being photographed are aware of what the images may be used for, and not mis-representing a community or situation. In terms of using a professional specialized NGO photographer vs using staff in the field, most of the organizations I work with do both… Field staff take reference photos of day to day material, and professional photography is used for all marketing, print, promotional and fundraising material.