M2- Write a report explaining the legal and ethical issues around your photography shoot

In this report I will discuss the legal and ethical issues I will need to follow to avoid getting into any trouble when shooting. If I do not follow these regulations then me and my work will be sanctioned and if taken far, I will be taken into court. Following this I will then go on to talk about the ethical considerations when going out to take my photos. 

The first legal issue I will talk about is that of not filming in places of entertainment. I do have the right to shoot freely in public but I cannot shoot where entertainment is taking place such as cinemas and live music as I do not have the rights to the content that is being showcased especially in cinemas as the film isn't even out to the public yet. Fortunately for me, none of my planned shots are at risk of clashing with copyrighted entertainment so I do not need to worry about filling forms or getting into trouble with the owner of content.

Another legal consideration is if I am to photo private property I need permission from the owner. This can be accomplished by completing a location release from which will state what I am planning to do on the private property and also show proof of permission from the owner. Neither do I own public or private property but the difference is that there are laws in place where when you want to photograph private property then you need permission from the owner. Luckily, none of my photos are on private property therefore i wont need to complete any location release forms.

Another legal issue I need to consider is filling out model release forms if I have chosen people in my shots. Similar to a location release form, a model release form will state what the model is going to do and where they are positioned while also showing proof that they have given permission for me to use them in my photos. There is only one planned photo where I certainly need a model with the potential of a few others as well so when I find my model, I will ensure that they fill out a model release form. 

Secondly, I will now talk about the ethical considerations I will need to follow when shooting for my photos. Ethical issues are not illegal but they are where actions are right or wrong morally and how they make other people feel if you were to follow through on these actions. 

As I am going to be filming in public locations I have the right to film people and places but I may cause people to change where they go therefore causing further issues. For example, when I take a photo of the church on Eccleston Road, some people won't want to be in the shot so they cross the road to avoid being photographed. This could be seen as ethically wrong as if they were to cross but an oncoming car was to hit them, yes it would directly be my fault but I am the reason that they moved.

Another ethical issue maybe that of quickly taking photos of people before they have time to react and move out of the way. This was famously done by Bruce Gilden where he quickly took a shot of peoples faces as it captured peoples true expression when going about everyday life. Bruce Gilden was often questioned about his ethics and just responded with 'I have no ethics'. This shows that he is inconsiderate towards other people when taking his shots which makes him look selfish when doing his profession as he will disregard people for the shot he wants. Fortunately, none of my shots really include taking photos of the public but the public could get in the way of my shots so I need to ensure that they know I am tasking a photo.

When taking some of my photos, I maybe tempted to reposition wildlife in the shot or add something to the shot that wasn’t originally there. This maybe an ethical issue because if changed around too much, the shot I take is not an accurate representation and what was there initially therefore creating a fake idea for viewers. In addition, I may intend to use animals in my shots that I will have to displace from where they are which is ethically incorrect as I am sure that the animal will not want to come into contact with me so I should leave it alone. The shots I am planning to take do not need me to do these actions but it is something to consider in future. 

The final ethical issue I will talk about is the ethics of editing. Photos are edited to make the shots look more professional, remove unwanted content and to sometimes change the appearance of photo completely. While I have the right to change whatever I want to my photos, it maybe ethically wrong to drastically change the initial photo as it potentially won’t show Doncaster as it is. Similar to adding and changing to shots before they are taken, it can possibly give an unrealistic representation of Doncaster which would be fooling my audience into thinking it is something it is not.

In conclusion, I will ensure that all of the legal and ethical issues mentioned above are not broken as that can give myself a bad reputation and could also make my work look unprofessional and a lack of care has gone into it.