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Is Street Photography Ethical?

Is Street Photography Ethical?

Ep. 32 of the Fine Art Photography Podcast: We examine the ethics of photographing strangers on the street without their consent

In this episode — is street photography ethical?

Hey everybody Keith Dotson here. Street photography is one of the most dynamic — and I think most difficult — forms of photography to do well. All you have to do is look at the work of the very best of this breed of photographers to see what a terrific exploration and expression of humanity it can be.

But watching the photographers in action, and seeing some of the work that is done, it makes me question — is street photography ethical? I don’t mean is it legal — in most countries it’s perfectly legal to photograph people in public places, where they have no expectation of privacy. But just because you can take someone’s photograph without their permission, does that mean it’s OK? And what about those photographers who approach their subjects aggressively?

In this episode, we explore the question.

New podcast website

I have started a new website specifically for my podcast episodes. You can get the full episode transcript for this podcast and all future episodes there.

Go to the Fine Art Photography Podcast by Keith Dotson

Thanks for listening.

Sources and Links

Bill Cunningham New York, 2010 documentary film directed by Richard Press and produced by Philip Gefter https://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/billcunninghamnewyork/

Cool Hunting, 13 New York Street Photographers Profiled in Everybody Street
https://coolhunting.com/culture/everybody-street-documentary-cheryl-dunn/

Everybody Street, full documentary film
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSG2dHa9ldI&ab_channel=FilmRiseCinematheque

PetaPixel, Fujifilm Drops Ambassador After His Street Shooting Style Sparks Outrage, Feb 08, 2020, Michael Zhang https://petapixel.com/2020/02/08/fujifilm-drops-ambassador-after-his-street-shooting-style-sparks-outcry/

PetaPixel, Controversial OpEd Calls Candid Street Photography a Form of ‘Gender-Based Violence,’  Oct 21, 2020,  D.L. Cade
https://petapixel.com/2020/10/21/controversial-oped-calls-candid-street-photography-a-form-of-gender-based-violence/

Input Magazine, Fujifilm dropped a top street photographer, but did he cross a line? https://www.inputmag.com/features/tatsuo-suzuki-fujifilm-street-photography-controversy

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