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As seen in the domain of Journalism,
Photojournalism also has a separate set of ethics that are to be followed. In
my previous article I discussed about the ethics of Journalism that can be
looked up at https://www.eatmy.news/2020/05/5-principles-that-you-must-know-about.html?m=1. In a similar manner, this article revolves around
the discussion of ethics of photojournalism.
For the purpose cited, I have attempted to
critique a very famous photograph by Steve McCurry who happens to be a famous
photojournalist. The photograph is popularly known as the ‘Afgan Girl’.
While this picture was clicked, some of
the ethics around this profession were seriously violated. One of the
objectives of this article is to make the photojournalist aspirants aware of
certain actions that are accepted as violation of codes of conduct.
However, before jumping into the ethical part of it, let us understand what photojournalism actually is.
What is
Photojournalism?
The aim of photojournalism is to capture candid moments. One of the main principles is to never change or alter a scene or to influence the setting, unnaturally. This is because these kinds of actions violate the ethics of photojournalism. Ideally, we as photojournalists want to be spectators who are as invisible as possible documenting the world as if we were absent.
Introduction to the Picture of the Afgan Girl
The picture of the ‘Afgan Girl’ constitutes a female who is looking over her right shoulder with her eyes blazing. This was the picture which turned Steve McCurry’s career overnight.
The Right to Privacy
Each one of us have a right to privacy but McCurry violated Sharbat Gula’s (the Afgan girl’s) right to privacy at two different levels; first when he clicked her photograph without her permission and for the second time when he utilized the photograph for commercial purposes. McCurry did not have a Model Release. A Model Release is a legal document that is signed by the subject of the photograph going to be used, giving the photographer permission to use the images taken of them for various purposes. The purposes are typically well defined in the given document.
Favorable Alterations
in the Settings
McCurry not only violated
the right to privacy but also temped with the settings of the photograph taken.
In simpler words, the photo was staged by him. McCurry has himself conceded
that Sharbat initially was reluctant to show her face because she was not
willing to be photographed. In fact, her teacher was the force of intervention
because of whom she put her hands down.
We can look at McCurry’s
alteration as a sympathetic action as he was sensitive to the sufferings of the
Afghans. Hence, he attempted to stage the photo in order to give it to a more
real ‘Afgan’ feeling.
In this manner, he also violated the very important principle of authenticity. It is true that the purpose of photojournalism is to raise awareness but compromising on the aspect of authenticity is no way to do it.
Obsession with Aesthetics
Another problem with the photograph is that it is highly aestheticised. Wearing a ripped red headscarf and standing right in front of an ambiguous green background, Sharbat’s photo cauterized viewers’ hearts with her large, infiltrating eyes. Her unusual green eyes are both amazingly delightful and stunningly unpleasant. When observed closely, I realized that the colour of her eyes match with the colour palette of the full picture.
Again, the colour of her dark red veil matches with the
colour of her skin. Moreover, this is also contrasting to her eyes. Each
element in the picture if is framed in a way that it makes the picture
captivating. The elements in the picture seem to be perfectly composed.
What I see is that the
change in composition of the photograph and the eventual change in
aestheticization bring forth a completely different story. An American photo
magazine has pointed out that the image presents ‘an unusual combination of
grittiness’ and glamour and the ambiguity captured in the ‘girl’s striking
green eyes’. Therefore, it is by all accounts apparent that this picture is the
striking aestheticization of a poor condition which requires the viewers to
empathize with it.
Through my perspective,
these violations are very much real and the ethics need to be taken seriously.
The picture was published as the National Geographic cover photo in 1985, with
the caption, “Haunted eyes tell of an Afghan refugee’s fear”. There was one
interesting line about her eyes, which goes like “her eyes were reflecting the
fear of war”.
We have to know that
Photojournalism has a set of guidelines and ethics. Some of these are that the
pictures have to be timely, it has to be objective and it has to follow a narrative
and I feel that the ‘Afghan Girl” photo does not follow any of the three stated
guidelines. Firstly the caption was misleading; the fear (anger) that can be
seen in the eyes of Sharbat was not of war but of the photographer which had
invaded her private space. Secondly, there was no narrative about the
photograph. Moreover, National Geographic did not even publish her name.
McCurry violated some of
the very important ethics and morals of photojournalism. The photo was not only
used as the cover photo for National Geographic but it was also sold privately
by McCurry. He earned a lot by selling the photos but no share of the amount
was provided to Sharbat until 2002. This is when McCurry returned to cover her
story again.
McCurry has provided many
justifications for the way he photographed the ‘Afghan Girl’ but at no point
did he apologize for violating the photojournalism guidelines. Unfortunately, the ethics of Photojournalism are often violated in this manner.
Written by – Kshitij
Kumar Ojha
Edited by- Daity Talukdar
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