Defining Ethics (Prompt 2)

            The photographer’s code of ethics speaks to the responsibility of the photographer to their colleagues, subjects, clients, employees, and suppliers.  Also to practice common courtesy, specifically be an honest employee, protect clients’ confidential information, respecting privacy, don’t engage in inaccurate criticism of a fellow employee, and respect the law.  It also states to be accurate and comprehensive in the representation of subjects (if for the purpose of journalism), respect the integrity of the photographic moment, etc. 

This list of ethics for the most part aligns with my personal ethics, i.e. respecting others and maintaining honest portrayals of whatever it is I am showing.  People who intend to work in this field probably have a basic understanding of these ethics, as they seem somewhat obvious.  I do believe that people in the field follow this ethic code.

            This set of ethics in my opinion can be applied most directly to photojournalists as opposed to artistic photographers.  I feel as though for the more artistic and creative photographers that utilize other devices or mediums such as photoshop or collage may have difficulty following some of these ethics specifically the ones about accurate representation or alteration of true form.  They probably have a different set of ethics to follow.  I think I fall somewhere between these two styles of photography but even so I don’t think these ethics will limit my professional future.

-Golda

           

"NPPA Code of Ethics." National Press Photographers Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016. <https://nppa.org/code_of_ethics>.

"Ethics Codes Collection." Photographer's Code of Ethics (1993). N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016. <http://ethics.iit.edu/ecodes/node/3666>.