Photography Ethics Symposium

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Since 2019 we have run the Photography Ethics Symposium to create a space to share ideas, raise questions, and critically consider photography ethics in conversation with others. Through these events, we aim to highlight issues which are particularly relevant in today’s context. Our symposia have covered topics including consent and power, representation and authority, and the subjectivity of photography.

The first Photography Ethics Symposium was held as an in-person event at the Royal Photographic Society in Bristol, then it moved online for 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024. Our 2026 symposium was held at Queen’s University Belfast. Going forward, we plan to make this a biennial in-person event, with the next one planned for 2028.

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2026 Photography Ethics Symposium

The 2026 Photography Ethics Symposium brings together photographers, curators, archivists, and researchers from a range of institutions and practices to facilitate critical conversation on the challenges shaping photography today.

2024 Photo Ethics Symposium: Ethics in the Age of AI

The theme of the 2024 Photo Ethics Symposium was: Ethics in the Age of AI. This symposium took place online over 3 days, from December 4-6, 2024 with support from Getty.

There was a parallel in-person event at Queen's University Belfast on December 3 to launch our recent report, Eight Lessons from The Photo Ethics Podcast.

2022 Photography Ethics Symposium: On Documenting and Exhibiting Vulnerability

For the fourth annual symposia on December 2, 2022, we worked with RedEye: The Photography Network to approach the topic of vulnerability from multiple angles.

We heard from three photographers: Raphaela Rosella, Justin Carey and Sophie Harris-Taylor. The speakers’ presentations were followed by a roundtable discussion.

2021 Photography Ethics Symposium: Photographing Afghanistan

This online event explored the photographic representation of Afghanistan, and the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, over the last twenty years. We heard from Dr Azeta Hatef, Kiana Hayeri, Alison Baskerville, and Tahmina Saleem.

This event was organised by the Photography Ethics Centre and hosted in collaboration with the Ethical Journalism Network on December 2, 2021

2020 Photography Ethics Symposium

This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, we moved the symposium online. Instead of one all-day event, we hosted a mini-series of events. We heard from Smita Sharma, Laura Saunders, Melissa Bunni Elian, Martha Tadesse, Jennie Ricketts, and John Edwin Mason.

These sessions were organised by the Photography Ethics Centre, and moderated by Savannah Dodd. This event was supported by the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists.

2019 Photography Ethics Symposium: Working with People

This was the first edition of the Photography Ethics Symposium. It took place at The Royal Photographic Society in Bristol on December 4, 2019. We heard from Anthony Luvera, Jess Crombie, Emma Chetcuti, and Franklyn Rodgers about the ethics of working with people. Conversations were moderated by Savannah Dodd.