Upcoming Events
Online workshop: The Ethics of Picturing Tragedy and Trauma
February 26 and May 17, 2024
Humanitarian and aid organisations are often tasked with visually representing tragic situations and traumatic events. Can you ethically photograph people when they are experiencing trauma? How can you portray people with dignity when they are suffering most? In this workshop, we will delve into questions like these. We will focus particularly on navigating the dilemmas of taking and publishing photographs of suffering, however the conversations will have broader applications to other situations. The aim of this workshop is to create a supportive and safe environment in which professionals can unpack these discussions and improve their understanding of current debates.
Register to attend via Fairpicture.
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Past Events
Workshop and Lecture Series: Building Ethical Literacy in Your Photographic Practice
October 3, 10, and 17, 2023
Over three weeks in October, we held a special series of online events in partnership with VII Insider to explore what photography ethics is, why photography ethics matters, and how you can apply photography ethics to your practice. Each session began with a public lecture and ended with a private workshop for selected participants. Lectures were given by Savannah Dodd, Danielle Villasana, and Shaminder Dulai. Workshops were facilitated by Savannah Dodd.
The public lectures will be available online. Currently, you can watch part 1, part 2, and part 3 at VII Insider.
Photography Ethics Symposium: On Documenting and Exhibiting Vulnerability
December 2, 2022
At the fourth annual Photography Ethics Symposium, we discussed the ethical implications of documenting vulnerability in others, of photographing our own vulnerabilities, and of exhibiting such photographs with care. We explore how we can exhibit vulnerability in ourselves. When we make mistakes and our ethics are questioned, it can feel like a personal affront. What happens if, instead of responding with defensiveness, we respond from a place of openness to being wrong and to learning something new? How could such moments inspire our own development as photographers, foster productive conversations about ethics, and promote positive change in the industry?
We hear from three photographers: Raphaela Rosella, Justin Carey and Sophie Harris-Taylor. This event was run in collaboration with the RedEye: The Photography Network. Watch the recording.
Photographing Afghanistan: A panel discussion exploring 20 years of photography and ethics
December 2, 2021
For the Photography Ethics Symposium this year, we have chosen to run a panel event focused on the photographic representation of Afghanistan over the last twenty years. The recent rise in media attention presents an opportunity for reflection about how Afghanistan has been portrayed since the start of the so-called War on Terror. It also raises ethical questions about how photographers represent Afghanistan today.
We hear from panellists Dr Azeta Hatef, Kiana Hayeri, Alison Baskerville, and Tahmina Saleem. This event was run in collaboration with the Ethical Journalism Network. Watch the recording.
Photography Ethics Symposium: On objectivity, truth, and lies
December 3, 2020
Last year, we hosted the first annual Photography Ethics Symposium on the theme ‘Working with People' at RPS House in Bristol. This year we are moving the event online. Instead of one all-day event, we are hosting a mini-series of three events.
At our third panel event on December 3, heard from Jennie Ricketts and John Edwin Mason on objectivity, truth, and lies.
This event was supported by the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists.
Photography Ethics Symposium: On representation, identity, and intersectional storytelling
November 5, 2020
Last year, we hosted the first annual Photography Ethics Symposium on the theme ‘Working with People' at RPS House in Bristol. This year we are moving the event online. Instead of one all-day event, we are hosting a mini-series of three events.
At our second panel event on November 5, we heard from Melissa Bunni Elian and Martha Tadesse on representation, identity, and intersectional storytelling.
This event was supported by the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists.
Book Launch: Ethics and Integrity in Visual Research Methods
October 22, 2020
Ethics and Integrity in Visual Research Methods, edited by founder and director of the Photography Ethics Centre Savannah Dodd, was published over the summer. This book aims to unpack the multiple considerations for ethics and integrity that accompany research methods involving visual data generation and analysis.
To celebrate its publication, we hosted an event to hear from the volume editor, the series editor, and a small selection of the contributing authors.
Photography Ethics Symposium: On gender, power, and documenting vulnerability
October 1, 2020
Last year, we hosted the first annual Photography Ethics Symposium on the theme ‘Working with People' at RPS House in Bristol. This year we are moving the event online. Instead of one all-day event, we are hosting a mini-series of three events.
Our first panel took place on October 1 with Smita Sharma and Laura Saunders on gender, power, and documenting vulnerability.
Photography Ethics Symposium
December 4, 2019
This one-day Photography Ethics Symposium brought together leaders in ethics from across the industry. We heard from Anthony Luvera, Jess Crombie, Emma Chetcuti, and Franklyn Rodgers about the ethics of working with people. We covered a wide range of topics: from practical tools to become more ethical in your work, to asking the big questions about why we photograph and how we engage in processes of representation.
This symposium was hosted by the Royal Photographic Society, and organised by the Photography Ethics Centre. You can read the report online.