Ethics In Street and Documentary Photography: Photographing Homelessness

Social media street photographer: “Don’t do this, most street photographers consider photographing homeless people without their express permission to be disrespectful and intrusive.”

Me: Isn’t the nature of street photography itself intrusive and disrespectful at some level? Should we develop our sense of photographic ethics based on what most people think and do? Do our intentions, our method, and our purpose for photographing homelessness enter into the equation, or is it always unethical to photograph homelessness? Is drive-by street photography the same as long-term social documentary photography?

In this podcast, I offer some thoughts and reflections on ethics in street and documentary photography. Please consider sharing this blog post on your social media photography groups. This is a fantastic way to help support my work with no cost to you.