Now about those ethics. I know everyone out there has logged onto the social place of propaganda and gossip that is Facebook only to witness hideous photos of themselves that were taken at all the wrong angles. The lighting was bad, obviously you weren't looking at the lense when it was shot, and most importantly you don't remember anyone asking for your permission to post them up in a public place let alone tag you in them for the world to see (Or whoever you let see your photos on your profile. It depends on your privacy settings.) Ah, yes. This has happened to me and I'm sure it's happenede to you at some point. And even though I set my photos to private,I know people mean well, and most of the time I have a tendency of seeing something negative about myself in a photo that others don't pay much attention to, this dilemma brings up a very good topic of discussion: Should people you know ask your permission to put up photos of you on a public internet space?
Here's my opinion: Yes, Yes, and did I say yes? You'd have to go find a media law book to break down all the ethical rules of journalism and media, I kept my law book from college for this reason, to get the extreme details, but what the normal public doesn't realize is that if you are a private figure you should be asked if it's ok to publish a bunch of unflattering photos of you on a public domain. Not only do I believe it to be ethical and professional but it's also just plain polite. Now I know what you're thinking. CKB, you're being ridiculous and way too picky. Honestly I'm really not. It's important for photographers to educate themselves on professionalism. And people have the right to protect themselves and their privacy.
You're also probably saying to yourself, "But famous people have unflattering photos taken of them all the time and they're published too. What's the difference? Well, unfortunately for celebrities, they are considered public figures and not private. Because they chose a profession that involves being in front of the public all the time, they are much more susceptable to the media and have different ethical standards than a private figure. Stupid, right? Not really if you think about it. When you choose a profession that's in front of the public eye you knowingly step into a world where you're being watched all the time. And honestly we all know which celebrities handle it the right way and which ones just don't. If all else fails, they should know to hire a smart and trustworthy PR person or publicist who knows how to deal with the media.
And I won't even start on the topic of taking photos in public places or the guidelines someone has to go through in order to prove a photo defamed their reputation if it was published for thousands and even millions of people to see. It's a lot of jargon that will give you all a headache. (It gives me one.)
So what I'm basically saying is this: I've derived my own personal opinion about photos on Facebook from general observations and knowledge I obtained from an ethics class I took in college. Try your best when taking photos of your friends to let them see what you are going to put up. If they say they don't like one and it's not a flattering photo, don't publish it. Respect their wishes. Most people are reasonable. Photoshop images to enhance the person's features and embrace what they look like (And no I don't mean change the whole thing. I'm talking about changing the contrast or the lighting or cleaning up any flaws on the skin. ) Just let them know what you're doing.
I'm telling myself this just as much as I'm telling you. I try my best to let my friends see photos right after we've taken them and if they don't like the photo and want to take another one, I always let them.
As I said before it's my own ethical standards and opinions. Think I'm being a diva? Somehow I doubt it.
-CKB
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