Ethics & Responsibility in Photography

My practice brings together social documentary, portraiture and visual sociology. I am interested in people, their lives and the social conditions that shape their experiences. Questions of class, inequality, belonging and representation run through my work.

Listening is fundamental to this practice and to my understanding of ethics. It means giving people time, taking their experiences seriously and being willing to question my own assumptions. The conversations around a photograph matter. They influence what I understand, what I photograph and how I present the work.

Photography has a history of serving colonial power, reinforcing stereotypes and allowing some people to define others. I cannot place myself outside that history simply by having good intentions. I bring my own background, assumptions and authority to every encounter. Choosing where to point the camera, which photograph to select and what to say about it carries responsibility.

The person in front of my camera has their own understanding of their life. My interpretation is always partial.

My commitments

Listening and participation

I make space for people to tell me what matters to them, including concerns about the photographs or the project itself. In my portrait work, I respect how people choose to present themselves. Participation must leave room for questions, disagreement and saying no.

Dignity and representation

I aim to photograph people with honesty and respect, paying attention to how selection, captions and context can shape the way they are understood. No individual should be expected to stand for an entire community.

Consent and transparency

I explain the purpose of the work and how photographs may be used, including in exhibitions, publications, online and on social media. I treat consent as a conversation that can be revisited. People should have the information and time they need to decide whether they want to take part.

Withdrawal and accountability

People can contact me to discuss concerns or withdraw consent for future use of their photographs. I will remove images from channels I control and explain any limits, including material already printed, distributed or shared by others. Those limits should be clear before participation.

Sharing the work

In projects such as The People’s Portrait Studio, I give participants copies of their photographs to keep, print and share. Returning the work to the people who helped make it is part of my responsibility.

Archives and future use

Where an archive is proposed, I will discuss what this means with participants, including where photographs will be held and how they may be accessed and used. Agreement to take part in a project should not be treated as permission for every possible future use.

Ethical practice requires ongoing attention. My responsibility continues after the photograph has been made. If someone raises a concern, I will listen, take it seriously and work with them to address it. That includes being prepared to change my decisions and acknowledge when I have got something wrong.

As guiding principles for my practice, I have signed the Photography Ethics Pledge and the Photography Bill of Rights