GoingCandid

Introduction
Ethics
When I saw this man (next page) running on 5th Avenue in New York City, I
was quickly thinking if it would be appropriate to make a photo of a man not
having any legs. I decided to take it because there is the fact that this is a sad
thing but also that there is high tech giving these people a life back. Furthermore
it's showing what happens out in the world and how diverse humanity
can be.
"Life is not wearing make-up, it's unadorned." - Thomas Leuthard
There are a lot of people thinking of not taking a photo of certain situations or
people. It's all your decision about what you shoot and what you don't. You
have to be comfortable with the situation. If you don't like what you see, look
away. For me it's important that I show life exactly as it happens. No setup, no
asking, no posing, nothing. Just look around and shoot what you see...
As street photography lives from the things you don't see all the time, maybe
some people think it is a kind of attraction. I don't think so. It is just showing
life as it is. For me street photography is a way of photo journalism. You document
everyday life on the street. Whatever happens, you document it, no
matter what it is.
You should not focus on beggars as they are an easy target. That is not how it
works. You should show the reality, contrasts, how life is happening. There
are people lying on the streets and others are just passing by looking away. If
you have problems shooting things which might not be ethical, then you can
also ask upfront. You can also shoot a person in a way you won't see the face
by lowering the camera to the floor. This makes the photo very interesting
and you can have it in an ethical way.
In my opinion there are no ethics in street photography. You are the person
who decides to take the shot or not. If you don’t take it, someone else will.