Context
My dad has requested more photos of people on my blog and in general. I understand the desire to see what people look like, dress like, etc. Also, I would like for my readers to have a visual image of the people here to round out their perception of Ethiopia and its beautiful people.But, this is slightly problematic for me. I take hundreds of photos of people for work; however, there are certain rights of subjects that must be respected, and I am pretty sure that when I asked for their permission to take their photo I didn't include the statement "oh, and is it OK if I post your photo to my blog?" That said, the people I did photograph agreed to allow me full artistic license with their images, and practically speaking, none of them will be accessing my blog or even understand what a blog is.
To further complicate things, it is considered ethical practice now to give the full name of the subject of the photo. However, this could work in the other direction by violating their privacy when posting images to a private website. Providing the context in which I took the photo--the subject's story, in other words--might also be a violation of their privacy, although I use their stories for public dissemination in other venues. It's always problematic because of the nature of the work we do; everything is sensitive because it has to do with sex, basically.
I solicit your comments on this issue as I decide what to do on this issue. Meanwhile, here are a few of my favorite photos from my Tigray trip:
posted by Margot @ 7:29 AM
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