In this episode, we talk with Tara Todras-Whitehill about becoming a storyteller. She shares how she first became a photographer, and the ethical situations she has found herself in since. Tara describes her current role training NGOs on how to tell stories powerfully and ethically, while explaining the different ethical contexts between journalism and NGO photography. She discusses the importance of going beyond a basic approach to consent, to ensure that the participant is well-informed. Tara also talks about how becoming a mother has altered the way she thinks and acts about photo ethics.What you’ll find inside: ‘I quit after four years because I wasn’t really getting what I wanted out of it and people thought I was crazy because I was quitting a staff job, and who quits a staff job? And I was like, but this wasn’t what I signed up for. So then I went back to doing more in depth storytelling for social impact.’ (10.18)‘NGOs vs journalism have very different decisions about what is correct for them. I always take the journalist ethics to the organisations I’m working for, but you always have to figure out how to balance those things because they’re working in a different context.’ (14.18)‘If you do the down-trodden thing and like woe is me and whatever, they don’t come back, because people might donate, but they’re not interested in it because it makes them feel bad.’ (19.10)‘You want to make sure you’re telling the story that’s accurate, but you also recognise that they are working within confines. If you’re working with the government, there’s things that they can’t say and how do you tell the story accurately so that your own ethics are being met?’ (22.44)‘We are synced for stories, and we are synced for connection.’ (26.15)‘As a mother, I also feel like I’m more vulnerable to seeing things - in a good way. Like more emotionally attached whereas before I would have said my camera in front of my face is like a barrier.’ (27.30)On photographing a story about a child’s circumcision: ‘I sent a message and I said you really need to explain in a lot more detail to the family, even though they gave consent, about what this means.’ (29.20)‘I’ve been advocating for better consent forms where people can retract consent and understand their consent doesn’t mean anything about whether they’re going to get more or less services.’ (33.05)What does photo ethics mean to Tara?‘I mean to me it’s just humanity. You’re being allowed to take a picture of someone and their life, and that’s an honour, to be able to do that. And I think about that all the time, about the things I’ve been able to do and how amazing it’s been and how people let me into their homes with a camera. To me, it’s not photo ethics, it’s just how you want to be treated. That is just human.’ (39.35)Links: Portraits: I had an abortionEthicalstorytelling.comDignified Storytelling

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related