There is a difference between taking snaps and creating photographs in a thoughtful way. Photographs that may be viewed by a wide audience should be sensitive to a range of gender, disability, and spiritual perspectives. I endevour to create photographs that are sensitive yet show the world in its glorious diversity. If any person who appears in my photograph asks to see it in camera I will show them.
On 13 February 2013 I was stopped by police in Kathmandu for taking a picture that included a policeman (at a distance of 50 metres). I was asked to delete the picture and I was happy to comply. This demonstrates an important ethical principle of being transparent.
At one time photography and truth went hand in hand demonstrated by the saying, “a photograph doesn’t lie”. Digital photography has opened up opportunities to manipulate the image.
All my images are created in camera, sometimes using digital enhancements to emphasise a point, rather like a novelist might use a “flashback” when revealing clues in a crime scene. I see a set of images as a way of telling a story. The truth in the image is thus revealed as the viewer engages in the looking process which I see as parallel to that of discussion in the verbal tradition. As an artist I remain accountable for the stories my images tell.
During the conception, design and execution of a series of photographs I commit to being ethically aware and to keep that awareness relevant by continually engaging in reflection and reading on ethics.
