What are
Editorial Images?
Editorial
images illustrate and reflect the issues, themes, and events (both big and
small) of our world today.
The people
and things in these images are not released. For that reason, they cannot be
used to sell anything. Editorial imagery is for non-commercial, non-promotional
use only.
Editorial
images portray specific people, places, things and events that provide context
for newspaper and magazine articles, blog posts, websites and other
non-commercial presentations.
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The image on the top was produced
and staged by the photographer for commercial stock purposes. The teenagers are
all models who have given written consent for their likeness to be used in
commercial photography. When you download this image from iStock, it comes with
our standard content license agreement, which allows you to use it for
advertising or promotional purposes. We sometimes refer to these images as
'Creative' stock. Most of the images at iStockphoto fall into this category.
The image underneath is an
unreleased editorial image. These people have not given permission for any
commercial use of their license. Editorial use allows you to put this picture
in a magazine article or blog post for illustrative purposes or to provide
context, but you cannot use the image to sell anything.
How
Can I Use Editorial Images?
The golden rule of editorial imagery
is that you cannot use them to make money — so if you want to use them for
advertising, marketing, a promotional or otherwise commercial venture, you’re
out of luck (though, we would like you to consider using one of the millions of
non-editorial images we offer).
Here are some examples of acceptable
versus unacceptable uses of the same types of editorial images.
Acceptable
Use
·
Using an image of an iPad 2 for a
newspaper or magazine article you’re writing about hot new tech.
·
Illustrating an entry in your
basketball blog with a photo of an official NBA basketball.
·
Inserting a picture of Piccadilly
Circus for your PowerPoint presentation on London’s retail scene.
Unacceptable
Use
·
Using an image of an iPad 2 in a web
banner to promote your magazine’s digital edition.
·
Illustrating a pamphlet for your
basketball camp with a photo of an official NBA basketball.
·
Inserting a picture of Piccadilly
Circus in a trade magazine advertorial about your company’s expanded UK
presence.
As stated above, you cannot use an
editorial image for any advertising, marketing or promotional material, nor can
you use them for any “advertorial” purposes (i.e., using them in sections or
supplements for which you receive pay or a fee).
An Editorial image can be used:
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In a newspaper or magazine article
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In a text or book (but not to
promote the text or book)
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On a blog or website for
descriptive purposes
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Film or video documentaries and/or
broadcast news
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In a non-commercial presentation
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An Editorial image cannot be used:
In any kind of advertising or promotional material
Commercial brochures, collateral or other printed material
Commercial websites
Product packaging
Television commercials
For any 'advertorial' purposes. ie: in sections or supplements for which you receive a fee from a third party advisor or sponsor
The Press Complaints Commission closed on 8 September 2014 and has been replaced by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). You can find full details of the new organisation, and how to complain, atwww.ipso.co.uk
Please note that, though the Press Complaints Commission is no longer active, this site will continue to be maintained for a period in order to provide a record of the organisation's work.
Please contact IPSO for any other queries.
Introduction
The Editors' Code of Practice is published in full below.
This section also includes an Introduction to the Code, which explains the function of the Code and who is responsible for its development; and a history of the Code, which provides a comprehensive summary of all changes made to the Code since 1991.
This section also includes an Introduction to the Code, which explains the function of the Code and who is responsible for its development; and a history of the Code, which provides a comprehensive summary of all changes made to the Code since 1991.
The Press Complaints Commission is charged with enforcing the following Code of Practice which was framed by the newspaper and periodical industry and was ratified by the PCC in December 2011 to include changes taking effect from 1 January 2012.
THE EDITORS' CODE
All members of the press have a duty to maintain the highest professional standards. The Code, which includes this preamble and the public interest exceptions below, sets the benchmark for those ethical standards, protecting both the rights of the individual and the public's right to know. It is the cornerstone of the system of self-regulation to which the industry has made a binding commitment.
It is essential that an agreed code be honoured not only to the letter but in the full spirit. It should not be interpreted so narrowly as to compromise its commitment to respect the rights of the individual, nor so broadly that it constitutes an unnecessary interference with freedom of expression or prevents publication in the public interest.
It is the responsibility of editors and publishers to apply the Code to editorial material in both printed and online versions of publications. They should take care to ensure it is observed rigorously by all editorial staff and external contributors, including non-journalists, in printed and online versions of publications.
Editors should co-operate swiftly with the Press Complaints Commission in the resolution of complaints. Any publication judged to have breached the Code must publish the adjudication in full and with due prominence agreed by the Commission's Director, including headline reference to the PCC.
Editors should co-operate swiftly with the Press Complaints Commission in the resolution of complaints. Any publication judged to have breached the Code must publish the adjudication in full and with due prominence agreed by the Commission's Director, including headline reference to the PCC.
Copyright © 2012 The Press Standards Board of Finance Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of the Editors' Code of Practice may be reproduced without the prior written permission of The Press Standards Board of Finance Ltd.
The Ethics of Photo Editing: What’s Right and Wrong In The News Media
Posted in Uncategorized on April 6, 2009 by Katie McKay
In the Beginning…
Posted in Introductions to the topic on April 6, 2009 by
Katie McKay
Photojournalism ethics is a major concern in today’s media.
The “New” Media Debate:
When you are in media management, you hold to reigns not
only to what information people get, but how they get it, in what order they
see or hear it and sometimes how they feel about it.
With issues like this to weigh along with countless others,
including but not nearly limited to, upper –management pressure, ratings
pressures, employee pressure, how is a manager to deal when it comes to
performance.
Managers are expected create and present top-notch
broadcasts, newsprint, telecasts, and web posts among many other types of
media. It is not surprising that a
growing number of what many call ‘violations of ethics’ in the editing process
are cropping up across all mediums of media.
With increasing ease, editors, photographers, and just about
any Joe-shmo can open up Photoshop and wreak havoc on the ethics of hardworking
journalists. Where in the distant past
that honor was left up to the highly skilled, extremely patient hands of
manipulative, trained photo developers.
Well, some might ask, “What’s so wrong with wanting to
print, show and publish the best looking photos we can. It looks good and it wasn’t changed that
much?”
But changed still the same, even toning photos for some
publications without disclosure can come with a very high price, the price of
your job.
So…
What is right and what is wrong?
Doctoring photos has quite literally, whether the average
person knows it or not, been around since the advent of the camera. It becomes not a question of if a photo has
been manipulated (because most of them will be in someway) but of how much and
does it change the original image so that the photo is no longer portraying the
‘truth.’
It becomes an issue of
‘Ethics’ vs. ‘Aesthetics’,
‘Art’ vs. ‘Journalism’.
If something is “ethical” by definition it is “conforming to
professional standards of conduct” those standards are the ethics themselves,
or “a set of moral principles or values.”
According to Jerry Lodriguss, it is “a fundamental fact that
we usually forget… that when we take a picture we do not make a perfectly
objective recording of reality. What we
make is an interpretation of reality.
There is no film or digital camera that perfectly and accurately records
nature even on this simple level.”
Often times, for the individual and the personal, or even,
professional photographer ‘photoshopping’ is no big deal. It is a little bit different for a media
manager. They have to walk that thin
line of portraying the truth of the scene, what actually happened, what it
physically looked like, so that those that are learning about it through that
managers organization are getting the truth, as best they can present.
Leave a comment »
So, What’s The Status?
Posted in Current Status of the Issue on April 1, 2009 by
Katie McKay
Kim Kardashian was featured on the cover of Complex
Magazine. The original cover (left) was leaked. The photoshopped version
(right) is on newstands now.
Kim Kardashian was featured on the cover of Complex
Magazine. The original cover (left) was leaked. The photoshopped version
(right) is on newsstands now.
With the invention of Photoshop and other photo editing
programs, product validity has become an issue. Media managers struggle with
this today due to its varying nature. The ability to take a newsworthy
photograph no longer lies with professional photographers. The explosion of
convergence media has made it possible for the “average Joe or Jane,” to take
professional pictures; adapting each image to fit a particular communication
style.
Adobe Photoshop, for example, has transformed photograph
editing into an art. In the past, red eye reduction and photo retouching took
hours. Thanks to the precision of programs like Photoshop and iPhoto,
photographers can “fix” an image in a matter of seconds.
In the past, picture refinement, took several hours.
Nowadays, all it takes is someone with a working knowledge of photo editing
software. Online tutorials like Lynda.com, Photoshopstar.com,
good-tutorials.com offer up-to-date information on how to use many of the Adobe
CS3/CS4 Suites for less than $100 or for free! And for those, with limited cash
to spare, the general web offers quick, “how to…” guides on how to fix or
retouch photographs.
Anyone can sign up for a YouTube and have an endless array
of free phoroshop and photo editing tutorials and ‘how-to’ videos at his or her
finger tips.
Over the years, public apathy towards photojournalism ethics
along with ignorance about the extent of photo manipulation has made it
difficult for those working in the the media to implement any true,
‘followable’ standard for photographers and graphic designers in the field.
While there are rules that clearly state what a photographer
can and cannot do, many feel as if the “rules” no longer apply to them,
especially with the circulation of magazines like People, Star and the National
Inquirer.
Doctored photographs are published all the time in magazines
like those listed above, with the intention to increase readership and overall
sales. Even, reputable organizations like Coca-Cola and the American Heart
Association alter photographs to garner support for a particular cause or
event.
Photo cropping and image scaling have been used to create a
depth perception that at times, forces people to believe in something that never
took place. Many companies use these techniques to increase consumer response,
event coverage or product sales.
While many of these techniques are used regularly, the
question of how often and how much comes into play. Is it right for companies
or organizations to show images that distort an event? Is it right for
consumers to think that they are buying into something that has generated a lot
of buzz, when in reality the buzz has been created for them? It is easy to say
no, but when this particular formula has been used for years, and increased
product sales all across the board, the question is not whether it is right,
but what and where are the guidelines?
Issue:
Is it safe to believe the photographs that we see everyday?
Among media managers in the communication industry today,
photojournalism ethics is one of several issues that many entering the business
will eventually address. “Most people haven’t noticed, but it’s getting more
and more difficult to recognize reality in photographic journalism”
(http://www.60-seconds.com/168_ethics.html). Due to the complex nature of photo
editing programs, it has become almost impossible to note the alternations
found in most media.
“While the unwary public soaks up newspaper and broadcast
news reports which show stark photography, those of us who know what can be
done with today’s software are taking a more careful look. A recent photo in
the local newspaper editorialized the aftermath of a house fire. Most people
looked at the story it told. [However,] I saw the affects of over-sharpening
and was [amazed] that the image had been manipulated”
(http://www.60-seconds.com/168_ethics.html).
Newspapers like the New York Times, the Washington Post and
USA Today provide photographers with strict guidelines on how to shoot and edit
their photographs. (EXAMPLE: The Charlotte Observer’s photo policy states, “No
colors will be altered from the original scene photographed”
(http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2006/08/ethics.html)).
Photojournalists are required to turn in all of their proofs
as well as their final portfolio in order for their photographs to be used.
Although magazines like Star and the National Inquirer, require less ethics
from their photographers, the problem, or question, remains the same, is it
safe to believe the pictures we see in the media today?
Only time will tell.
In the past, photograph distortion took several weeks. As
time progressed, photograph distortion went from taking weeks, to a few hours,
to now only a few minutes. Photoshop has made it easy to doctor a photo or
graphic design, with very little help.
Simple color change or image scaling can alter the
perception of those looking at the design or picture. “Any [technique] that can
alter the original [image] or scene captured by the camera…” is considered
unethical.
And while these “rules” may apply to those working in the
media, they can and do apply to anyone taking pictures to be viewed by the
public, hence the problem. The creation of multi-purpose cell phones,
computers, and cameras have made it easy for just about anyone to become a
journalist. Nowadays, media outlets rely on the public to help them capture the
news. Therefore, it is important for media managers to know and understand the
ethical issues behind photojournalism. Photographs are used to help deliver a
story and add validity to an event, or breaking news story. Pictures or images
that distort or alter the publics’ ability to achieve an accurate
representation of a news story, or product, create problems that could result
in a decline in sales, product recall and overall lack of trust among consumers.
While the idea is to increase sales and product revenue, it
is important for photojournalists in all markets to report what they see as
they see it.
Policies like those found at the New York Times, the
Charlotte Observer and the Washington Post are used to enhance the validity of
stories read or viewed in print and online.
“However, I can tell you why we have policies governing the
alteration of photographs. Journalism cannot be about original works of art
unless it is labeled as such. That is why we label photo and art illustrations.
It’s why editorials go on pages labeled for opinion. Journalism, however, does
often capture art in real life. Photojournalism is one means of doing that.
Writing that’s grounded in factual reporting is another. Sometimes, our tools
fail us. The camera settings don’t accommodate the circumstances. The notes
aren’t legible in our notebooks. The tape-recorder fails. To the extent that we
journalists are confident about what we saw or heard, we may rely on our memory
to tone a photo to reflect the original scene photographed, or to reconstruct
the quotes. Toning for accuracy is allowable under the language of our photo
policy”
(http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2006/08/ethics.html).
It is important for journalists and photojournalists to
report what they see, the use of alteration tools like cropping, blemish
reduction and color modification can change the ebb and flow of an article or
graphic design. One should be able to see the original version and generate his/her
own thoughts on the issue or event, not the other way around. Although story
angles are used to sell a particular article or picture or graphic design,
audience perceptions should be left to the audience. Spinning a story or
changing a photograph to reflect or depict a certain feeling or emotion is
unethical and should be left to the public.
Sources:
http://www.60-seconds.com/168_ethics.html
http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2006/08/ethics.html
http://rising.blackstar.com/the-emergence-of-photojournalism-ethics.html
2 Comments »
Photo Manipulation Throughout History: A Timeline
Posted in History of the issue on April 1, 2009 by Katie
McKay
The history of doctoring photographs dates back to the
1860s, only a few decades after Niepce created the first photograph in 1814,
photographs were already being manipulated. The nearly iconic portrait of U.S.
President Abraham Lincoln is a composite of Lincoln’s head and the Southern
politician John Calhoun’s body.
lincoln121
Around the 1910s, photographic composites of different
images were created by commercial photographic studios to bring family members
together into one picture when they were not together in reality for the
portrait session.
They were cut out of other photos and pasted on top of a
photo of the woman at right and re-photographed in a composite image.
1937: In this
doctored photograph, Adolf Hitler had Joseph Goebbels (second from the right)
removed from the original photograph. It remains unclear why exactly Goebbels
fell out of favor with Hitler.
1942: In order to create a more heroic portrait of himself,
Benito Mussolini had the horse handler removed from the original photograph.
1982: In this
National Geographic magazine cover story on Egypt, photographer Gordon Gahen
took a horizontal picture of the Great Pyramids of Giza, which had to be
“squeezed” together to fit the magazine’s vertical format. Tom Kennedy, who
became the director of photography at National Geographic after the cover was
manipulated, stated that, “We no longer use that technology to manipulate
elements in a photo simply to achieve a more compelling graphic effect. We regarded
that afterwards as a mistake, and we wouldn’t repeat that mistake today.”
1989: The cover of TV
Guide displayed this picture of daytime talk-show host Oprah Winfrey. This
picture was created by splicing the head of Winfrey onto the body of actress
Ann-Margret, taken from a 1979 publicity shot. The composite was created
without permission of Winfrey or Ann-Margret, and was detected by Ann-Margret’s
fashion designer, who recognized the dress.
1992: This cover of
Texas Monthly shows former Texas Governor Ann Richards astride a
Harley-Davidson motorcycle. This picture was created by splicing the head of
Richards onto the body of a model. The editors explained that their credit page
disclosed this fact by noting in the credits page “Cover Photograph by Jim
Myers … Stock photograph (head shot) By Kevin Vandivier / Texastock.”
Entering the 1990s, with the advent of high-resolution
digital cameras, powerful personal computers and sophisticated photo editing
software, it is becoming more common to manipulate photographs. It is also
harder to detect fake photos.
1994: This digitally
altered photograph of OJ Simpson appeared on the cover of Time magazine shortly
after Simpson’s arrest for murder. This photograph was manipulated from the
original mug shot that appeared, unaltered, on the cover of Newsweek. Time was
subsequently accused of manipulating the photograph to make Simpson appear
“darker” and “menacing.”
1997: This digitally
altered photograph of Kenny and Bobbi McCaughey appeared on the cover of
Newsweek shortly after Bobbi gave birth to septuplets. This photograph was
manipulated from the original that appeared, unaltered, on the cover of Time.
Newsweek manipulated the photograph to make Bobbi’s teeth straighter, and were
accused of trying to make her “more attractive.”
2000: Hoping to illustrate its diverse enrollment, the
University of Wisconsin at Madison doctored a photograph on a brochure cover by
digitally inserting a black student in a crowd of white football fans. The
original photograph of white fans was taken in 1993. The additional black
student, senior Diallo Shabazz, was taken in 1994. University officials said
that they spent the summer looking for pictures that would show the school’s
diversity — but had no luck.
2004: This digital
composite of Senator John Kerry and Jane Fonda sharing a stage at an anti-war
rally emerged during the 2004 Presidential primaries as Senator Kerry was
campaigning for the Democratic nomination. The picture of Senator Kerry was
captured by photographer Ken Light as Kerry was preparing to give a speech at
the Register for Peace Rally held in Mineola, New York, in June 1971. The
picture of Jane Fonda was captured by Owen Franken as Fonda was speaking at a
political rally in Miami Beach, Florida, in August 1972.
2006: A photograph of CBS news anchor Katie Couric was
digitally altered from this original to give Couric a trimmer waistline and a
thinner face. This photo appeared in CBS’ in-house magazine Watch! CBS
spokesman, Gil Schwartz, said the doctored image was the work of a CBS photo
department employee who got a little zealous.” Schwartz added, “I talked to my
photo department; we had a discussion about it; I think photo understands this
is not something we’d do in the future.”
2008: This photo of Governor Sarah Palin was widely
distributed across the Internet shortly after Palin was announced as the vice
presidential nominee for the Republican ticket. Shortly after its release the
photo was revealed to be a composite of Palin’s head and somebody else’s body.
2009: This photo of Heath Ledger and Christopher Nolan of
“The Dark Knight” appeared in Vanity Fair as part of a series of photographs of
acclaimed actors and directors. The photo of Ledger, who died in 2008, is from
2005 as he was promoting the film “Brokeback Mountain.” Nolan (shown on the
left) was digitally inserted into this photo.
Sources:
Photo Tampering Throughout History,
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/farid/research/digitaltampering/
The Ethics of Digital Manipulation,
http://www.astropix.com/HTML/J_DIGIT/ETHICS.HTM
National Press Photographers Association, Ethics in the Age
of Digital Photograph,
http://graphicssoft.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=graphicssoft&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nppa.org%2Fprofessional_development%2Fbusiness_practices%2Fdigitalethics.html
Posted in Issues in Studying Photojournalism Ethics on April
1, 2009 by Katie McKay
These new issues bring up a very real challenge when
discussing the ethics behind photo editing.
Who’s in charge?
Who manages the release of photos?
And what happens when no one is in charge?
How do you police, prevent, or hold people account for doing
this? And should we?
What about the internet?
These are issues that even ten years ago weren’t nearly as
relevant as they are in today’s media market.
For many of these questions, there are not clear answers yet and hot
debate and discussion is still on everyone’s tongues. But what can be looked at are a few of the
more clear and easily recognized factors at hand when discussing this issue.
In the past there were always different standard for those
in the media and the average “non-media” individuals when it came to news in
general and photography in particular.
If you were media personnel you had to be held to professional standards
of what was right and wrong, ethical and unethical.
In the early 19th century the press held a solid place in
society as the “fourth estate”. This
creation allowed for and required they be held to professional sandards of
ethical behavior.
According to the Society of Professional Journalist in 1987,
media’s responsibility was defined as, “the public’s right to know of events of
public importance and interest is the overriding mission of the mass
media. The purpose of distributing news
and enlightened opinion is to serve the general welfare. Journalists who use their professional status
as representatives of the public for selfish or other unworthy motives violate
a high trust.”
It is that high trust that is the question and issue now,
who should be held this and exactly what are those standards now. How much photo editing should be allowed, if
any, and at what point does it become unethical?
So to this effect, the media have a very important role to
play in society. They should be and are
held to higher standards of ethical behavior than the ‘common’ individual.
But in today’s society just about anyone can lay claim to
being “part of the media’. And whether
you agree or disagree, these “bloggers” and “online journalists” are
increasingly being considered legitimate news organizations.
Don’t believe it? Just last week President Obama held a
press conference, which was called an online town hall meeting. All the questions taken were from people
online. Anyone can blog online about
anything they think is news, and someone else in the world can read it and
think its news. Similarly, anyone can post a picture with that ‘news’ story and
misrepresent what actualy happened throuhg photo manipulation.
Should that person be held to the same high standards as a
professional member of the media? (The
‘new’ age-old question and debate.)
This is right at the heart of our issue.
With the technology and ability to manipulate images and
publish them over the internet or even to sell them to the newspapers, or even
for professional members of the media to be able to manipulate photos without
anyone possibility knowing or being able to find out. What are managers, editors, and the general
public to do?
These different standard lines are being blurred. It doesn’t help the situation when different
media outlets are held to different standards even within the field. Advertisers are held to a different standard
then traditional news media outlets.
When you are trying to make a profit form your images and outputs, then
you can allowed much more ‘wiggle-room’ with your images. You can ‘photoshop’ much more and it be more
acceptable in the eyes of the general public.
But this is creating a big mess in the news media forum.
How much is ok?
And when does it become not ok?
Here are some example of what has been done about this at
different publications:
2003: This digital composite of a British soldier in Basra,
gesturing to Iraqi civilians urging them to seek cover, appeared on the front
page of the Los Angeles Times shortly after the U.S. invaded Iraq. Brian
Walski, a staff photographer for the Los Angeles Times and a 30-year veteran of
the news business, was fired after his editors discovered that he had combined
two of his photographs to “improve” the composition.
2006: The Charlotte Observer fired photographer Patrick
Schneider for altering this image of a fire fighter. Following the incident,
the paper released the following statement: “Photographer Patrick Schneider’s
photo depicted a Charlotte firefighter on a ladder, silhouetted by the light of
the early morning sun. In the original photo, the sky in the photo was
brownish-gray. Enhanced with photo-editing software, the sky became a deep red
and the sun took on a more distinct halo. The Observer’s photo policy states:
No colors will be altered from the original scene photographed.” Schneider said
that he only meant to restore the actual color of the sky that was lost when he
underexposed the photo. Schneider was suspended in an earlier episode after it
was revealed that his award-winning photographs had been manipulated. Schneider
allowed this case to be used to educate other professional photographers in
ethics seminars. At the time he pledged, “I will no longer tone my background
down that far.”
Solutions:
So where do we go from here?
Traditionally, in a
news media forum, selecting a photographer to either hire as a freelancer or
someone who works for you starts with the assignment.
Photo editors and managers have the tedious job of knowing
who is going to be the best photographer for the jobs for the particular
assignment they are handing out. It is
the job of the upper-level mangers to review portfolios weekly, even daily to
make sure they are up to date onwhat kind of photography best for which
assignments and which photographer would best fit that assignment.
This is one way in which a photo editor or a media manager
can prevent or try to limit the possibility of running into a problem with
photo manipulation ending up in their publication.
To cut down on them having to continually be better than the
photographers, which is probably an impossibility, they can become familiar
with as many professional photographers as they can.
Surprisingly enough, most of the photo editors of many
publications are completely (or mostly) in the dark about photography (Kobre
129). A timeless question which must be
brought up as a factor involved in studying photo editing ethics is if
photographers should even be allowed to edit their own work for a publication
or not. Some schools of thought believe
that they (the photographers) are too close to their work, to “emotionally
involved” to look at their work as work and thus would not be able to objectively
edit their own work. After all photography
is still considered an art form and thus the photographer an artist selling his
or her work. So, if the photographer
does tone and edit his or her own work, what can be done by media managers to
keep ethics in the minds of these folks?
Along this same line of thinking…
A question in studying photo editing ethics is if
photographers should even be allowed to edit their own work for a publication
or not.
Some believe that photographers are too “emotionally
involved” to objectively edit their own work.
Photography is still considered an art form and thus the photographer an
artist selling his or her work.
So, if the photographer does tone and edit his or her own
work, what can be done by media managers to keep ethics in the minds of these
people?
Another solution is to make each media outlet create their
own set of rules and standards (which could be based on a previously made sets
like NPPA’s photojournalism standards) and make them available for people if
they believe there is a problem.
The members of the photo staff, as well as members of the
management team, should be involved in this process so that everyone has a say
and also so that everyone knows the ethical standards they are going to be held
to.
A third possible solution would be to create a standard set
of ethics for all media. This option has
many drawbacks, such as the specific publication or role of that particular
media, but would allow less wiggle room with-in the industry about knowing what
is right and wrong in the field of photo editing.
Photojournalism ethics are constantly changing.
These three options are all mere suggestions. The real answer is not even yet on the
horizon. These are our best guesses at
what a solution could possibily be.
Where the photography world is going is a mystery, but where
the field of photojournalism is too a mystery with more at stake.
So ultimately…
All we are left with is the same thing we started with…
Ethics is an inherently subjective field. In his seminal textbook, Photojournalism, the Professionals’ Approach, author and photojournalism professor Kenneth Kobré writes, “Photojournalism has no Bible, no rabbinical college, no Pope to define correct choices.” There is no sole arbiter of what is or isn't ethical, and even if there were, the line isn't always black and white. Most texts regarding ethics in photojournalism focus on the issue of what might be termed “photographic truth” - whether a particular image accurately represents the subject or whether it misleads the viewer. The National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics states that the “primary goal” of the photojournalist is the “...faithful and comprehensive depiction of the subject at hand.” Can a photographer pose a news photo? Can he alter it, in the darkroom or otherwise? Are the results of these actions “faithful and comprehensive depictions?” While myriad texts attempt to answer these particular questions, the scope of photojournalistic ethics extends significantly beyond them.
For example, the distinction between ethics and taste is constantly up for debate, especially in relation to violent or sexual imagery. While some see sex and violence as issues of taste, others include them under the heading of ethics.
Additionally, photojournalistic ethics might encompass the choices an individual photographer makes while shooting. For example, should a war photographer put down his cameras in order to help an injured soldier? If someone asks that his or her photo not be taken, is it ethical to photograph that person anyway? If ethics in photojournalism is about being “faithful and comprehensive,” is intentionally underexposing or poorly focusing unethical? Some of these questions sit on the line between journalistic ethics and professionalism..
Legal and moral
restrictions imposed upon news and editorial photographers.
Photographers
have a legal and moral obligation in all circumstances to check the laws that
are put in place, especially if travelling to another country where the law may
change.
In the uk we are restricted in the
interests of public morality and the protection of children.
Photographs of Children cannot be
used for pornography purposes (Protection of Children Act 1978) but taking
photographs of children in public areas are permitted although in today’s
climate it is frowned upon.
It is also illegal to take photographs
of members of the military / national
security forces / constables to be published to prevent any act of terrorism.
(Counter-Terrorism Act 2008) It is also an offence under section 58 of the
Terrorism Act 2000 to take photographs
that are likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of
terrorism.
Photography in a court of law and any
of it’s employees (Including jury) is not allowed.
Photographing private property from a
public domain is allowed although entering private property to photograph does
require permission.
Photographing accident related
incidents is allowed although a photographer has the moral obligation not to
hinder the emergency services.
Continued and persistent photography
of an individual can be seen as harassment, especially if the photographer has
been asked to desist.
We also have to be aware of the copyright
and infringement laws to protect ourselves and our work.
The press are required to follow and
be aware of the Editors Code of Practice originally set out by the Press Complaints
Committee in 2012. This document (Included) gives strict peramiters for the
press to follow before publication to protect the public and young children
under the age of 16.
In essence we have a lot of freedom
to take images but we have to be aware of the legal restrictions before we
enter into any form of publication. Various issues have for a long time and
always will affect the editorial photographer. From the moment an image is
shot, it belongs to the photographer. However, if this is ever disputed, e.g.
if their work is stolen or reproduced without permission, the rightful owner
will need to have proof of their ownership in the form of a registered
copyright. It makes sense for all photographers to do this with most of their
work but for editorial photographers whose shots will be sent to various
agencies, etc., it is vital.
Another issue is that of model
release, i.e. getting the permission of a subject for an image of them to be
published. This only counts if an image is to be published for commercial gain.
So an editorial photography would have to get a person they photographed at an
event’s permission to publish the image of them in a magazine or online in an
editorial feature. A further legal issue is that press photographers must avoid
taking misleading images because if these are published and as a result these
shots are taken to be true, this goes against the Press Complaints Commission’s
code of conduct for editors and could land the photographer and others in a lot
of trouble as this will be when people start to sue. It is best to ensure all
images used for publishing are true to life and not misleading in any way.
On a positive note, changes in the
law brought in by the government state that if a photographer’s work is put
online, anyone copying the photo(s) must obtain permission to do this from the
copyright holder, meaning less works will be used without permission or for
free. However, this could potentially be affected by a lack of metadata – the
information embedded into an image which shows the technical properties of the
image as well as the license terms and the contact details of the owner. With
images being taken without permission and re-uploaded this information is being
lost more and more frequently meaning a person wishing to use a file may never
be able to locate the original uploader, e.g. an editorial photographer. As a
result of this the photographer will lose money and not be credited for their
work.
An editorial photographer (and
photographers in general) has the right to shoot on ‘public land’. This means
they can shoot into private property if they are outside it and it will be
perfectly legal for them to do so. This means for editorial photographers that
they can shoot and document and tell stories freely pretty much anywhere. On
private property, the permission of the owner must be sought before any images
can be taken, e.g. if a person were shooting an event in an arena, they would
need permission before they could actually take any photographs.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard Internet protocol for transmitting files between computers on the Internet. Like the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which transfers displayable Web pages and related files, and the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), which transfers e-mail, FTP is an application protocol that uses the Internet's TCP/IPprotocols. FTP is commonly used to transfer Web page files from their creator to the computer that acts as their server for everyone on the Internet. It's also commonly used to download programs and other files to your computer from other servers.
As a user, you can use FTP with a simple command line interface (for example, from the Windows MS-DOS Prompt window) or with a commercial program that offers a graphical user interface. Your Web browser can also make FTP requests to download programs you select from a Web page. Using FTP, you can also update (delete, rename, move, and copy) files at a server. You need to logon to an FTP server. However, publicly available files are easily accessed using anonymous FTP.
Basic FTP support is usually provided as part of a suite of programs that come with TCP/IP. However, any FTP client program with a graphical user interface usually must be downloaded from the company that makes it.
Metdata - Image metadata is the set of data that lives within an image file that describes the image's attributes -- everything from the photo's size to its resolution to its copyright information and beyond. Particularly for images on the web, metadata provides an essential role in describing, tracking, and identifying the image.
Metadata also factors significantly into SEO (Search Engine Optimization), as fields such as image captions, headlines, and keywords all help describe the contents of your image to search engines. Throughout PhotoShelter, you'll see a green SEO symbol placed next to metadata fields that are relevant to SEO.
PhotoShelter allows you to edit both the descriptive and administrative metadata for your images, both individually and in batch.
overview
metadata in use
The type and amount of metadata photographers should embed in their images depends on who will receive the image files.
Stock image distributors can't function without metadata. They depend particularly on keywords. But photographers need to communicate with their stock distributors to know whether they should do all of the keywording, provide only limited keywording or perform no keywording. If the stock distributor prefers photographers do the keywording, ask for guidance. Captions, which are titles or explanations of images, should be foundations for the keywords that follow. Good keywords explain the who, what, where, when and how of a picture — important tools for finding specific image files.
You'll find an excellent guide to keywording on the Controlled Vocabulary web site.
In addition to the standard IPTC templates, stock image distributors may elect to create their own custom metadata panels — not only to capture additional data but also to organize it differently from the IPTC defaults. It's easy to install these XMP-based panels in Photoshop (seehttp://www.adobe.com/products/xmp/custompanel.html), and they offer a good way for stock image distributors to insert custom metadata into image files. Although often handled separately, photo releases can be stored in metadata by using a custom template. However, this custom metadata is not yet easily available or interoperable with most image database or cataloging software.
Magazines and publishers also depend on metadata, particularly caption, headline, author, contact information and usage rights. Image files with complete information can save magazines valuable time on deadline. Picture metadata can even provide additional reporting information, especially details such as GPS data and capture time.
Many publishers have rights-tracking software to verify they have all necessary licenses, have made all necessary payments, and conversely, can track licenses to others for using images they own. Good metadata reduces the cost of operating such systems.
Publishers who lack such software still may need to contact rights holders, perhaps for many years to come. They may need to defend themselves from lawsuits (libel, invasion of privacy, plagiarism, etc.) or undertake a regulatory compliance audit. If a publisher is sold, part of the buyer's "due diligence" includes ensuring its assets are untainted by legal clouds. Metadata reduces the need to rely on paper records.
For all of these reasons, photographers should determine magazine and publisher metadata needs, and when appropriate, install and populate custom metadata templates.
Publication designers can improve their workflow by organizing and categorizing pictures for metadata searches in browsers such as Bridge and digital asset management software such as Microsoft Expression Media/iView, Extensis Portfolio or Canto Cumulus. For example, if a design firm commissions a series of portraits, it is often critical to include the portrait subject's name in the Description and/or Headline fields. Other fields, such as Origin, can be equally important to a designer assembling a printed piece. The photographer should ascertain these metadata needs, or make the designer aware of how this custom metadata can improve the designer's workflow.
Web designers often have the same organizational and search needs as publications designers. But they have an additional responsibility to prevent metadata stripping. It is important for photographers to alert their web design clients to the importance of, and methods for, preserving metadata in images destined for the web. Unfortunately, in the initial release of Adobe Photoshop CS3, Save For Web (called Save For Web & Devices in CS3) strips most metadata. Although it saves the file description and the creator's copyright notice by default, the feature changes the copyright status to Unknown. Beginning with the first CS3 update (Photoshop 10.0.1) it has become easier to discover how to include XMP metadata when using Save For Web. In the updated version, the Save for Web and Devices command includes the option to "Include XMP" in the main Save for Web dialog, where users will more likely find it. (In the first CS3 release, the option was buried in a sub-sub-menu.) When this option is enabled, all XMP data — including the creator copyright and contact info — is included in the optimized file, and the copyright status is preserved
Most digital image metadata is textual information embedded in an image file. Metadata has become an increasingly important attribute of a digital file, valuable for both creators and users of digital images. It offers a tool that can describe an image's technical characteristics, color profile, content, context, licensing terms, and perhaps most importantly, the identity and contact information for the rights holder.
The ability to readily identify and contact the rights holder for an image will likely become critically important if (when) proposed "Orphan Works" copyright exemptions become law. Bills introduced in the U.S. Congress, if passed, would affect all photographers by allowing anyone possessing an image to copy, modify, distribute, publish and otherwise use it for any purpose, after a reasonably diligent search fails to identify the rights holder. All images previously distributed without rights metadata may soon be vulnerable to unlicensed use as "orphaned" images. Embedding complete, accurate rights metadata will help protect images from unlicensed use. Many other countries are considering similar legislation.
Metadata can be embedded in standard file formats, such as TIFF and JPEG. You can also embed metadata in raw files, although this is only recommended for the Adobe DNG file format, since proprietary raw formats are neither standardized nor publicly documented. For now, with proprietary formats, it's best to attach metadata in a sidecar file. You can also save metadata in an image database, making sure the image file and its metadata reside in the same volume, folder or program, in order for the metadata to connect to the image file.
A variety of programs can read and write metadata. Programs like PhotoMechanic and ImageIngester can add metadata as files transfer from camera card to computer. Image editing programs (such as Adobe Photoshop), Image browsers, (such as Adobe Bridge), cataloging programs (such as Microsoft Expression Media (iView Media Pro), Extensis Portfolio and Canto Cumulus), and all-in-one programs (such as Adobe Lightroom and Apple's Aperture) can read, write and edit metadata. Some camera makers' processing software, such as Nikon's Capture NX, provide some basic (usually only legacy IPTC and not IPTC Core) metadata writing, as do some raw processors, such as Capture One.
types of metadata
EXIF: All digital cameras include technical metadata, called EXIF data. This provides a host of information, such as the camera make and model, its serial number, the date and time of image capture, the shutter speed, lens used, the ISO speed setting, and often, other technical details, such as white balance and distance to the subject. Raw file processing software can use this information to more accurately render images.
ICC Color Profile Tags: Without a color profile tag, the person receiving an image file can only guess the color space used to create and edit it. Always embed an ICC profile in digital images.
IPTC: This includes user-supplied information. The earliest schema was the IPTC IIM (Information Interchange Module) model created by the newspaper industry in 1991 and incorporated into Photoshop in 1995. While considered a legacy format, it remains widely used and readable by most software that accesses metadata. The IIM format stores information separately but shares many fields with the XMP format. Referred to as the IPTC Core, or IPTC Core Schema for XMP, it includes the Description, IPTC Contact, Image, Content and Status panels that appear under the File > File Info menu in Photoshop.
XMP: The Extensible Metadata Platform or XMP is a specific type of extensible markup language used in PDF, photography and photo editing applications. Adobe introduced XMP in 1991. Adobe, IPTC and IDEAlliance collaborated to introduce in 2005 the IPTC Core Schema for XMP, which transfers metadata values from IPTC headers to the more modern and flexible XMP. Stock image distributors and other organizations have since created custom metadata panels that enhance metadata usefulness.
PLUS: The Picture Licensing Universal System is an integrated set of standards for communicating rights metadata associated with commissioned and stock images. The PLUS standards are developed, approved and maintained by the PLUS Coalition, an international, non-profit umbrella association that includes publishers, designers, advertising agencies, photographers, illustrators, stock image distributors, artist representatives, museums, libraries, and standards bodies, such as UPDIG, IPTC, IDEAlliance and others.
The type and amount of metadata photographers should embed in their images depends on who will receive the image files.
Stock image distributors can't function without metadata. They depend particularly on keywords. But photographers need to communicate with their stock distributors to know whether they should do all of the keywording, provide only limited keywording or perform no keywording. If the stock distributor prefers photographers do the keywording, ask for guidance. Captions, which are titles or explanations of images, should be foundations for the keywords that follow. Good keywords explain the who, what, where, when and how of a picture — important tools for finding specific image files.
You'll find an excellent guide to keywording on the Controlled Vocabulary web site.
In addition to the standard IPTC templates, stock image distributors may elect to create their own custom metadata panels — not only to capture additional data but also to organize it differently from the IPTC defaults. It's easy to install these XMP-based panels in Photoshop (seehttp://www.adobe.com/products/xmp/custompanel.html), and they offer a good way for stock image distributors to insert custom metadata into image files. Although often handled separately, photo releases can be stored in metadata by using a custom template. However, this custom metadata is not yet easily available or interoperable with most image database or cataloging software.
Magazines and publishers also depend on metadata, particularly caption, headline, author, contact information and usage rights. Image files with complete information can save magazines valuable time on deadline. Picture metadata can even provide additional reporting information, especially details such as GPS data and capture time.
Many publishers have rights-tracking software to verify they have all necessary licenses, have made all necessary payments, and conversely, can track licenses to others for using images they own. Good metadata reduces the cost of operating such systems.
Publishers who lack such software still may need to contact rights holders, perhaps for many years to come. They may need to defend themselves from lawsuits (libel, invasion of privacy, plagiarism, etc.) or undertake a regulatory compliance audit. If a publisher is sold, part of the buyer's "due diligence" includes ensuring its assets are untainted by legal clouds. Metadata reduces the need to rely on paper records.
For all of these reasons, photographers should determine magazine and publisher metadata needs, and when appropriate, install and populate custom metadata templates.
Publication designers can improve their workflow by organizing and categorizing pictures for metadata searches in browsers such as Bridge and digital asset management software such as Microsoft Expression Media/iView, Extensis Portfolio or Canto Cumulus. For example, if a design firm commissions a series of portraits, it is often critical to include the portrait subject's name in the Description and/or Headline fields. Other fields, such as Origin, can be equally important to a designer assembling a printed piece. The photographer should ascertain these metadata needs, or make the designer aware of how this custom metadata can improve the designer's workflow.
Web designers often have the same organizational and search needs as publications designers. But they have an additional responsibility to prevent metadata stripping. It is important for photographers to alert their web design clients to the importance of, and methods for, preserving metadata in images destined for the web. Unfortunately, in the initial release of Adobe Photoshop CS3, Save For Web (called Save For Web & Devices in CS3) strips most metadata. Although it saves the file description and the creator's copyright notice by default, the feature changes the copyright status to Unknown. Beginning with the first CS3 update (Photoshop 10.0.1) it has become easier to discover how to include XMP metadata when using Save For Web. In the updated version, the Save for Web and Devices command includes the option to "Include XMP" in the main Save for Web dialog, where users will more likely find it. (In the first CS3 release, the option was buried in a sub-sub-menu.) When this option is enabled, all XMP data — including the creator copyright and contact info — is included in the optimized file, and the copyright status is preserved
Photographers and inspiration
Sebastião Salgado
Of the myriad works Sebastião Salgado has produced in his acclaimed photography career, three long-term projects stand out: Workers (1993), documenting the vanishing way of life of manual laborers across the world; Migrations (2000), a tribute to mass migration driven by hunger, natural disasters, environmental degradation, or demographic pressure; and this new opus, GENESIS, the result of an epic eight-year expedition to rediscover the mountains, deserts and oceans, the animals and peoples that have so far escaped the imprint of modern society – the land and life of a still pristine planet. The GENESIS project, along with the Salgados’ Instituto Terra, are dedicated to showing the beauty of our planet, reversing the damage done to it, and preserving it for the future.
On over 30 trips – traveled on foot, by light aircraft, seagoing vessels, canoes, and even balloons, through extreme heat and cold and in sometimes dangerous conditions – Salgado created a collection of images showing us nature, animals, and indigenous peoples in such shocking and intense beauty it takes our breath away. In GENESIS, one discovers the animal species and volcanoes of the Galápagos; the penguins, sea lions, cormorants, and whales of the South Atlantic; Brazilian alligators and jaguars; and African lions, leopards, and elephants. Through Salgado’s lens, we travel over icebergs in the Antarctic, the volcanoes of Central Africa, the ravines of the Grand Canyon, and the glaciers of Alaska. We encounter the Stone Age Korowai people of West Papua, nomadic Dinka cattle farmers in Sudan, Nenets and their reindeer herds in the Arctic Circle, as well as the Mentawai jungle communities on islands west of Sumatra.
This Collector’s Edition, designed and edited by Lélia Wanick Salgado, features exquisitely reproduced large-format images arranged not by theme or region but rather conceived as a portfolio that takes beholders on a journey around the globe, immersing them in Salgado’s vision of the Earth’s mesmerizing scale, order, and beauty.
Sebastião Salgado
Of the myriad works Sebastião Salgado has produced in his acclaimed photography career, three long-term projects stand out: Workers (1993), documenting the vanishing way of life of manual laborers across the world; Migrations (2000), a tribute to mass migration driven by hunger, natural disasters, environmental degradation, or demographic pressure; and this new opus, GENESIS, the result of an epic eight-year expedition to rediscover the mountains, deserts and oceans, the animals and peoples that have so far escaped the imprint of modern society – the land and life of a still pristine planet. The GENESIS project, along with the Salgados’ Instituto Terra, are dedicated to showing the beauty of our planet, reversing the damage done to it, and preserving it for the future.
On over 30 trips – traveled on foot, by light aircraft, seagoing vessels, canoes, and even balloons, through extreme heat and cold and in sometimes dangerous conditions – Salgado created a collection of images showing us nature, animals, and indigenous peoples in such shocking and intense beauty it takes our breath away. In GENESIS, one discovers the animal species and volcanoes of the Galápagos; the penguins, sea lions, cormorants, and whales of the South Atlantic; Brazilian alligators and jaguars; and African lions, leopards, and elephants. Through Salgado’s lens, we travel over icebergs in the Antarctic, the volcanoes of Central Africa, the ravines of the Grand Canyon, and the glaciers of Alaska. We encounter the Stone Age Korowai people of West Papua, nomadic Dinka cattle farmers in Sudan, Nenets and their reindeer herds in the Arctic Circle, as well as the Mentawai jungle communities on islands west of Sumatra.
This Collector’s Edition, designed and edited by Lélia Wanick Salgado, features exquisitely reproduced large-format images arranged not by theme or region but rather conceived as a portfolio that takes beholders on a journey around the globe, immersing them in Salgado’s vision of the Earth’s mesmerizing scale, order, and beauty.
Jason Aldean
A Londoner,
born and bred, Jason left the City and moved to Sheffield to study a degree and
postgraduate course in photojournalism. After graduating Jason built his
reputation in editorial photography, first at picture agency Newscast and then
as Chief Photographer at daily business paper City AM. Having developed his
dynamic style, Jason began freelancing in 2007 and now primarily works for the
Independent on Sunday and Bloomberg. His style and attention to detail has seen
him travel to Europe, Asia and the Americas for reportage and corporate
assignments.
Irving Penn
Irving Penn
(June 16, 1917 – October 7, 2009)[1] was an American photographer known for his
fashion photography, portraits, and still lifes. Penn's career included work at
Vogue magazine, and independent advertising work for clients including Issey
Miyake, and Clinique. His work has been exhibited internationally, and
continues to inform the art of photography.
anatomy-of-an-editorial-shoot-coca-cola-ceo-muhtar-kent
I came accross an interesting article online by Zack Arias at http://www.zackarias.com/editorial-photography/anatomy-of-an-editorial-shoot-coca-cola-ceo-muhtar-kent/
I was
hired by Harvard Business Review to photograph Muhtar Kent who is the
CEO of The Coca-Cola company . I thought I’d post about the process of an
editorial shoot from start to finish instead of just showing the photos.
The art direction for the shoot was to photograph Mr. Kent at the
headquarters building in Atlanta. The editor asked for two portraits. One was
to show some architectural details of the building. “Maybe with a bank of
windows or something in the background.” The other shot was to incorporate
something with Coca-Cola branding. The name, the Coca-Cola red, a bottle, etc.
After that I was free to grab anything else I had time to which, on a job like
this, means anything I can grab with the extra thirty seconds I have to work
with. An editorial shoot is usually a few hours of standing around and a few
minutes of taking pictures. You’ll regularly spend more time emailing with the
editor then you will clicking the shutter release of your camera. I was also
instructed that while they wanted a mix of vertical and horizontal images, they
used a lot of square crops as well so the images needed to work well 1:1. The
full process after the jump.
Once
you get booked for the job you begin the scheduling process. Sometimes the
client has handled that part and you’re told when and where to be. A lot of
times though the scheduling is handed off to you. You’re given a contact name,
number, and email address and the deadline the photographs need to be on the
desk of the editor. Photo editors typically have a million things going on and
the more you can handle for them the better. As the CEO of a massive
international company, Mr. Kent spends much of his time circumnavigating the
globe so scheduling a shoot in Atlanta between his trips and still hit the
deadline was challenging. I ended up having a 24 hour window to complete this
assignment and meet the deadline. He had just returned from Turkey and was
leaving for China the next day. Luckily for us, the folks at Coca-Cola
were extremely helpful and accommodating. We were slotted for an
11:15 am shoot and we could arrive at 10:00 am to scout and set up.
In
addition to scheduling you also need to begin your research on the subject.
Also ask the editor if there is a specific topic getting covered in the story.
There are times the photos need to illustrate the article and there are times
you just need a strong set of portraits. For this shoot I was just
concentrating on portraits. I did my research on Mr. Kent and found out as much
as I could about his history, his work, hobbies, etc. It’s important to have
this information because it gives you insight into who your subject is, what
their temperament may be, how to pronounce their name (very important
detail here), and most importantly it gives you things to talk about during the
shoot. You have to build rapport and trust immediately on jobs like this
and knowing a few key things about your subject allows you to ask pointed
questions. I knew he was just returning from Turkey which is where his family
is from and where he first began working for The Coca-Cola company. I then did
a little research on Turkey. I watched interviews with him to see
his temperament and how he looks on camera. This all leads to questions to
show your subject you care about who they are and you are genuinely interested
in them. They’re not just another guy in a tie in front of your camera. It also
let’s you start pre-visualizing the images you want to create days or
weeks before you create them.
My conversation started something like…. “I hear you just got back
from Turkey. I know you were born in New York but Turkey is where your family is
from and you started working for Coke there. Did you get to see family while
you were there?” “I watched your interview last year with so-and-so and you
were saying your outlook for the company was such-and-such. Seems like you were
right and those goals are getting met now.” “You’re going to China tomorrow?
Wow! You must live by your own internal clock, etc, etc. That market must hold
huge potential. I’d love to see China. I hear it’s
a fascinating place to go. I’ve been to the Middle East a few times now
and love the region. I’d love to explore more into Asia.” That led to Mr. Kent
asking where I’ve been in the region which led to me getting to share a bit of
what I do with my life. If I’m feeling comfortable with the client I’ll ask a
pointed personal question because A) I am really interested in hearing their
opinion and B) I don’t want to just be seen as a guy who read a wiki on the man
and I’m just regurgitating it back to him. So I’ll ask, if I feel I can without
pushing bounds, “I know you’re a family man, how do you handle the balance of a
crazy travel schedule and family life?”
These questions fill the space. They build relationship. They gain
trust. I love my job because I love meeting new people who have stories to
tell. Too many people want to complain and gripe about “big business” or
“corporate America” but the people who lead these companies are
usually fascinating characters who have great stories to tell.
Someone who holds the responsibility of an international company, travels the
world as a day job, and manages to love and provide for his family is someone I
want to know and learn a thing or two from.
So… blah, blah, blah. Job is booked, scheduled, researched,
pre-visualized, etc. I needed to get to the Coke HQ and find a bank of windows
or other such architectural detail, something that visually
communicates the Coke brand, and hopefully pull something off of my own.
Walking into the job I knew I wanted to shoot Mr. Kent against a white back
ground with a beauty dish. It was this job that set the lighting for my Faces
& Spaces personal project.
Dan and I arrive in the lobby at 10:00am to set up for the
scheduled 11:15 shoot. We were told beforehand that 11:15 was approximate and
conservatively set on the early side. We may have to wait around a bit. Our
contact, Steve, met us and escorted us around the lobby area and up to
the executive offices. I could photograph pretty much anywhere I
wanted to except the roof. (yes, I asked) The first thing I wanted to know was
where would Mr. Kent be coming from for the shoot and where did he need to be
next. This let me plan the shoot linearly so that we could navigate a few
levels of the building and not tie up any more of Mr. Kent’s time then we
needed to. Once I had the lay of the land I started test shots with Dan.
I
tested the light in this spot and took note of my settings. These would be my
starting points once Mr. Kent was in place. I knew I was at least an hour, if
not more, from actually shooting there so the light in the lobby would be
different by the time I got back there. I just needed it roughed in. We were
allowed to keep our gear there while we set up in another part of the building
for a different look. This rig is an AB800 with a 22″ white beauty dish (with
sock) on a C-Stand. (The rig in the first photo of this post).
Next we went to the area near the elevators that Mr. Kent would be
coming downstairs in. I could have shot in the executive office but I felt it
wasn’t my best option, it seemed “typical”, and we would have spent more time
traveling between one place several floors up to another place in the lobby.
Also remember I wanted to get my shot and once I started shooting I’d only have
about ten minutes to get the job done. No time to be waiting on elevators.
Coca-Cola had just celebrated their 125th anniversary and there
were a number of little Coke bottle details around the building. I was drawn to
these decals on some glass doors.
Dan
started the ever-so-fun stand in process. Since I left my AB upstairs, I
decided I’d either shoot available light here or use a small hot shoe flash in
a 28″ Westcott Apollo softbox. I ended up using the flash. I needed to find the
right angle that framed Mr. Kent well, showed the bottles, and have as clean of
a background as possible. If I blew the bottles out of focus too much they’d be
lost as an element but if they were too sharp then they would be distracting. I
shot every angle from inside to outside. I really like the reflections of the
outside in the glass but I knew that it might not print well. Maybe it would
work. Maybe not. I didn’t have enough time to shoot two different angles here
so I went with the safe route. I knew that on a monitor it’d be fine but once
it goes to print you can lose detail and contrast so I decided the safe route
was the best route. These are some of the angles I tested with these
doors.
We
were all set and were soon told that the interview Mr. Kent was in was running
long and he’d be down “soon”. That could have been five minutes soon or an hour
soon. You never know. As we were waiting Dan spotted some large frosted glass
doors and wondered what it would look like if we backlit them with the shape of
the Coca-Cola bottle in the shot. Around the lobby were a number or recycling
containers shaped like Coke bottles as well as some 125th anniversary plexi decorations.
We either had five minutes or an hour so we ran around like chickens with their
heads cut off to see if we could pull the idea into a usable photo.
I
feel there was a shot to be had somewhere but I needed another light, some
glass cleaner, a boom, and fifteen more minutes to really dial it in. I had
none of those things so we ditched the idea, re-set the window decal shot just
as Mr. Kent stepped off the elevator. Good thing we didn’t spend any more time
on that. Fired off my test shot as he stood in.
Since I was worried about
reflections I had Dan hold a large Impact reflector with a black cover on it behind my
head to kill the reflections from outside. An aperture of 3.2 on the Canon 85mm
got me to the right mix of the decals being out of focus but still retain their
shape. I went ahead and shot the reflections but then I ended up getting in the
shot so I only shot two frames and moved on. I had used nearly half of my time
once this look was done and needed to get moving to the next spot. This is
what the same scene looked like without the reflector.
We
walked from there to the upstairs window location. I had my 24mm on one 5d2
body and an 85mm on the other. I didn’t want to waste a moment switching lenses
so I kept both bodies on me with each lens I needed. The 24 was going to
include more of the environment and expand the perspective.
I
then switched to the 85mm to compress the perspective for a second option of
this location.
There
wasn’t a single clean white wall in the building and I still wanted my white
background shot. So we took the black cover off the large reflector and I had
Dan hold that behind Mr. Kent. We pre-staged a small flash on a short stand at
this location so all I had to do was get the window shot and then move Mr. Kent
and the main light about five feet forward and have Dan drop the short stand
behind him and hold the reflector in the background.
The
above was shot with the 24mm. Once I pulled the 85mm up it compressed the
background enough to get this shot.
THAT
what the shot I wanted the whole time. A strong business portrait on a super
simple background and in black and white. Lucky for me the editors at HBR liked
this shot as well. This is how the story ran…
From
my research I figured Mr. Kent was going to be a breeze to work with and he
was. He accommodated all of my requests and the folks working with
him could not have been kinder or more professional. They allowed me to do my
job without breathing down my neck or making demands. It was a great shoot.
To summarize.
• Research • Pre-visualize • Get there early • Plan your shoot as
though you have zero time • Take care of the editor’s request first • Do what
you can to get your shot too. It sometimes ends up being the one the client
runs with.
If you have any questions let me know in the comments.
Cheers,
My Chosen
Editorial Research
The Homeless Project
One of the most basic human rights is for somewhere safe and
stable to live, yet homelessness continues to be one of the worst social
problems in Britain today. My aim is to understand the situation and create a
set of images that depict the homelessness. With such a powerful project I am
mindful of a moral obligation to the people I research "Not to ridicule
and show compassion".
I went to Manchester to test out the idea of meeting the
homeless, I didn't know quite what to expect, if I would be met with open arms
or be completely shut out of a world I had no idea about. My own perception of
the homeless was to keep them at “arms length”, with a typical judgmental
attitude towards a minority of people who are often labelled as the dredges of
society.
I scouted the city
centre and started very cautiously. I purchased lottery tickets to give as a
thank you, with a romantic notion of the ultimate rags to riches story. With
camera in hand I began approaching my subjects.
I found a mixture of
different characters with very different views and backgrounds. Some were very
keen to speak to me and welcomed the camera, others were very abrupt and did
not want to get involved for fear of reprisals. One of the common pre-conceptions
of the homeless is alcohol and drugs, I did come across this situation on a
number of occasions and it made the whole experience very real.
It’s very easy to judge somebody when we see them begging or
asleep on a bench and it’s not until you hear the real life stories that you
can begin to comprehend how and why people end up on the streets. One gentleman
kindly pointed out we are all only three missed mortgage payments from being
homeless.
I tried to speak to each subject on a very individual basis
and listened intently to some heart breaking stories. I wanted the subjects in the images to be seen as real
people, the very short bios are their stories, and only touch the surface of their lives. They
are not to be ridiculed or frowned upon, they need help, but don’t we all from
time to time. I found all of the subjects to be very interesting and incredibly
respectful of what I was doing.
Many times I left my subject feeling very humbled and
extremely lucky. This project has taught
me one very important lesson in life and that is not to be so judgmental.
Editorials on the homeless
How many
people sleep rough in England?
What we know
about the numbers and trends on people who sleep rough in England.
It can be
difficult to work out the number of people sleeping rough for a number of
reasons. People bed down at different times, move about, and can be hidden away
in derelict buildings. However, each year every local authority in England does
estimate or count the number of people sleeping rough in their area.
This
information is then submitted to the Department for Communities and Local
Government and provides an estimate of the number of individuals sleeping out
on any one night in England.
How many people
sleep rough each night?
According to
the latest figures, collected in the autumn of 2013 and published in February
2014, 2,414 people are estimated to be sleeping rough on any one night.
Is rough
sleeping on the rise?
This was up
5% from the estimated number of rough sleepers in 2012, 11% from 2011, and 37%
from 2010.
Which areas
saw the biggest increases?
Five regions
reported an increase in rough sleepers when compared to 2012; the South West,
South East, East, East Midlands and North West. The East Midlands reported the
largest percentage increase at 50%. In level terms, South East England reported
the largest increase in rough sleepers, up 90 from the previous year.
Hidden
homelessness
Many people
who become homeless who do not show up in official figures. This is known as
hidden homelessness.
This
includes people who become homeless but find a temporary solution by staying
with family members or friends, living in squats or other insecure
accommodation.
Research by
the charity Crisis indicates that about 62% of single homeless people are
hidden and may not show up in official figures.
A poll of
2,000 UK adults we commissioned in December 2013, found that 32% of people have
experienced homelessness (including sofa surfing and staying with friends) or
know someone who has experienced homelessness. 14% had experienced it
themselves, 20% knew someone else who had experienced it, 2% said they had both
experienced it and knew others who had.
Causes of homelessness
Relationship breakdown is the main reason people give for losing their
home but is there more to the story?
The most common reasons people give for losing their accommodation is
that a friend or relatives are no longer able to provide support or
because of relationship breakdown.
However, there are often a wide number of factors at play. Individuals
can arrive at the point of homelessness after a long chain of other life
events.
Individual
circumstances
Some factors and experiences can make people more vulnerable to
homelessness: these include poor physical health, mental health problems,
alcohol and drugs issues, bereavement, experience of care, and experience of
the criminal justice system.
Wider
forces
Structural factors can include poverty, inequality, housing supply and
affordability, unemployment, welfare and income policies.
Complex
interplay
Structural and individual factors are often interrelated; individual
issues can arise from structural disadvantages such as poverty or lack of
education. While personal factors, such as family and social relationships, can
also be put under pressure by structural forces such as poverty.
Available Help In the Uk
http://www.crisis.org.uk/
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/
http://www.barnardos.org.uk/what_we_do/our_work/homelessness.htm
http://www.emmaus.org.uk/
http://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/rough-sleeping-street-homelessness
http://www.help-the-homeless.org.uk/
The Images
My vision is to create a set of 10 images that are powerful, that tell a story on the true situation of the homeless. I intend to approach the homeless on a personal level and talk to them and try and obtain information from them about their past, their hopes for the future and where they get help.
Lottery Ticket
In return for allowing me to take personal images I will return the favour and give them a lottery ticket. Wouldn't it be fantastic to be able to give the ultimate rags to riches story.
Personal Safety
I have been made aware of my own personal safety and have decided to take a second person with me to hopefully deter any unwanted attention.
The subjects
It is important for me to portray all of the subjects respectfully but also to allow the viewer to gain a true reflection.
I will also be asking the same questions to each subject to create a very small bio on each individual, not a survey but I feel it's necassary to provide information so the viewer understands the images as portraits or images of homeless people and without prejudice.
Final 10 Images
Albert
Albert is 68 years old, he has been homeless for 6 years
since his wife passed away. He has a history degree and used to be a teacher.
Albert’s life crumbled when his wife of 32 years died to cancer. He has no
children. Each day he takes his guitar and busks for money to survive.
Jono
Jono is 54 years old, he chooses to be homeless and has been
for 7 years. His situation is in defiance to the rising cost of living. Jono is
articulate and used to work as a fork lift truck driver. Jono chooses not to
beg for money and would not take anything from me for his images, he survives
from supermarket bins.
Craig
Craig is 36 years old and has been homeless for 2 years.
Craig used to be a manager in a well
known superstore. He became homeless when his relationship of 7 years came to
an end. He is an alcoholic. Craig is trying to get his life back together and
is having counselling for his addiction; he will receive keys to a new flat in
1 week. This for Craig is a new start.
Lisa
Lisa has been homeless for 9 month’s, Lisa is 28 years old, she
is a heroin addict and lost her home because she failed to pay her rent. She
begs on the streets and has also been involved in prostitution to feed her
habit. Lisa’s 3 year old daughter is in care. Lisa has not spoken to her family
for over 3 years.
Mark
Mark is 38 years old, he has been homeless for 6 months
after becoming unemployed and losing his house. Mark was a computer technician.
He begs for money to survive the streets. He can not get full time
accommodation and is desperate for help to get his life back on track.
Alf
Alf has been homeless for 2 years, he is 50 years of age.
Alf has mental health problems and does not want to live in main stream
society, he fears being institutionalised. He begs on the streets to survive, he trusts no one
and has very few friends.
Andy
Andy has been homeless for 4 weeks, he is 28 years old. Andy
was very reluctant to talk to me as he is in trouble with a gang. Andy did not
want his face being photographed. He see’s his situation as desperate with no
solution to his plight and is desperate to leave Manchester.
Stephen
Stephen has been homeless for 6 days, he has just separated from his girl friend and has nowhere to go, he is desperately trying to get off the streets but is finding it very difficult to find any form of help. Stephen does not want to be homeless, he is scared for his future.
Carl
Carl is 32 years old and has been homeless for 18 months.
Carl separated from his fiancé two years ago, and took to the streets when a friend
kicked him out after 6 months on a sofa. He begs daily and smokes cannabis. He
used to work as a warehouse operative. Carl’s family want nothing to do with
him.
Tony
Tony is 24 years old, he
has been homeless for 1 week . Tony lived
with his parents until an argument forced him to leave home. He would not have
his face shown on a photo as he does not want family and friends to see him
like this.
Editorial Learning Outcomes
I learned a lot on this brief on a personal level ,
technical level and possibly as a direction I would like to explore further.
For me this was real photography because I got involved on different levels. It
was thought provoking and influential to me.
I researched practitioners who have brought awareness and
changed opinions on many different global issues. From the very beginning I got
involved and was inspired by the photography and issues these images challenged.
Many times I have been inspired to take good photography but this was
different, I wasn’t just inspired I felt an almost euphoric dimension to
photography that I hadn’t seen before. Editorial Photography done well can definitely
be felt on a deep emotional level.
I chose the homeless because it is an area that isn’t widely
covered simply because it is an area of society that we choose to ignore. I wanted the project to be powerful in it’s
content, strong images backed up by a small bio about each individual so that
they were seen not just as homeless people but more so as human beings.
In my research I learned how big a problem homelessness is
in the Uk and how very little is done to prevent this situation. It is
extremely difficult to change the cycle of being homeless on so many aspects,
money, jobs, housing, food, clothing etc..
Approaching complete strangers has given me a new confidence
in my photography, it’s actually not that difficult to approach strangers once
you have done it a few times!! I faced more hostility from people passing by
than I did from the subjects I was speaking to. People judged me because I was
speaking to the very people they despised. This very reaction gave me a greater
understanding to the contempt the homeless face each and every day. It helped
me to comprehend how difficult it was going to be to even try and change
opinion, having said that it gave me more confidence in my project and inspired
my thought process.
Each subject was different technically, light, background,
personality and willingness to accept the camera. I found talking to my
subjects and understanding their backgrounds helped to relax them and it also
inspired me in my compositions and technical choices, even though I didn’t
always realise it at the time Proving knowing your subject defines your
photography. A lesson I intend to practice on every shoot possible.
I learned a lot about my own dedication choosing this
subject, if I am interested in the subject I get very involved where as other
briefs have been less interesting and I have struggled to be motivated. This is
definitely an area I need to keep a very close eye on.
I approached a charity who host a soup kitchen in Blackburn
and went to their night event where they provide food and clothing to the
homeless. This opened my eyes to a whole different concept on the situation and
learned not everybody judges the homeless.
As I was shooting outdoors I needed to overcome lighting
difficulties using speedlights for fill in flash to eliminate shadow detail.
Although I have used flash before many times, these situations were different
in the sense I really wanted to use light to explore the subjects personalities
and issues. Highlights and shadow detail would become very important to express
what I wanted to achieve.
Using an assistant on one of the shoots in Manchester helped
hugely to direct light as opposed to using on camera flash, this is something I
need to apply to all of my photography as using off camera flash definitely gives
you a whole new dimension to making photographs.
I chose to edit the images quite heavily to give them more
impact and make them more contrasting. I
hoped in doing this the images were much more aesthetically empowering.
This project has allowed me to become completely involved
and explore areas in photography I had never looked at before. It has helped me
to change as a photographer and chase other avenues.
I will carry on with this project as I feel it is not
complete, I would like to create more powerful images like the “Albert and
Craig” images, these are my favourites as they have captured the subjects just
the way I wanted to, These images I had the help of an assistant that helped me
shape the light properly. I would like to get a set of approximately fifty
images of the same quality and perhaps explore the idea of a gallery in
conjunction with one of the homeless charities.
Overall it has been a great experience and I now have the
confidence to explore any subject with an open mind.
nice post. Rebecca Tolk
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