Do you want to inspire hope and understanding, or maybe even expose wrongdoing and neglect? It is not acceptable to use the photographs simply to harness pity. Examine your motives for shooting a particular frame.Always get the subject’s consent first, especially if you want to do a close-up.(7) In order to demonstrate respect and sensitivity towards the local population and to avoid poverty porn, one should heed the following protocols: Before Photographing Poverty porn is also detrimental because it is degrading, dishonoring, and robs people of their dignity. Images like starving, skeletal children covered in flies.” (5) Poverty porn is harmful because it “exploits the poor’s condition in order to generate the necessary sympathy for selling newspapers or increasing charitable donations or support for a given cause.” (6) In addition to violating privacy and human rights, poverty porn is damaging to those it is trying to aid because it evokes the idea that the poor are helpless and incapable of helping themselves, thereby cultivating a culture of paternalism. (4) These images have been termed “poverty porn," which is defined as “words and images that elicit an emotional response by their sheer shock value. Since donors are often more empathetic to one person facing hardship than to many people, organizations frequently elicit donations by evoking sympathy in the viewer by showing images of hungry and ill children and, less frequently, adults. Moreover, they reflect double standards.” (3) The Problem “While these images might shock Westerners into digging deeper into their pockets, they have the unintended effect of disgusting the very people they are supposed to help. Though the intentions of the editors may have been to motivate wealthy donors and nations to take action to improve maternal healthcare in developing countries, dehumanizing photos should not be utilized. The more graphic they are, the more money they help to raise.” (3) Even Time Magazine recently published an issue that included a photo essay of an African mother dying in childbirth in Sierra Leone. They are blown up and displayed at fund-raisers by NGOs, donors and UN agencies they help organizations to stay in business. Only people who are dressed poorly.” (2) These images are unfair to the local population and have “become a marketable commodity. At church, at the market, on the road, at meetings. Edward also explained, “NGOs come to the village here to take pictures of people. He is also thinking of investing in a truck to start a transportation business. In reality, he is very successful as an area mechanic and grower of tobacco, and he also works for a basket weaving business. However, this is not an accurate portrayal of Edward. The photo on the left does not reflect Edward’s success, portraying him instead as a hopeless, dirty, hungry and impoverished beggar. The two images convey completely different stories, and elicit entirely different emotions in the viewer. In the photo on the left, Edward was asked to look and act as poor as possible, while in the photo on the right, Edward was asked to dress as rich as possible. Duncan photographed Edward Kabzela of Chagunda Village, Malawi. A “Perspectives of Poverty" project was recently implemented by Duncan McNichol of Engineers Without Borders Canada. These photos are dangerous, however, because they completely fail to capture the intelligence, resilience, and capabilities of the communities that the nonprofit is looking to help. Many charities have found that their most effective tactic for eliciting donations has involved the use of dehumanizing images to evoke feelings of pity and charity. “We’ve all seen it: the photo of a teary-eyed African child, dressed in rags, smothered in flies, with a look of desperation that the caption all too readily points out.” (1) Like any other business, the non-profit and development sectors need revenue to survive. Take a photo of words you want to understand how to#Photographers’ decisions about how to depict their subjects can entirely alter viewers’ perceptions. In this way, the photographer wields substantial control over public perception. Visual images are a cogent way to convey an experience to an audience and to evoke strong public emotions, as people often formulate their opinions, judgments, and behaviors in response to visual stimuli. Those who take photos while participating abroad have an ethical responsibility to preserve the dignity of their subjects and provide a faithful, comprehensive visual depiction of their surroundings so as to avoid causing public misperceptions. Enroll in the Cultural Competency Certificate Program Ethics and Photography in Developing Countries Introduction
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