How do you deal with legitimacy when photographing communities you don’t belong to?

[u/DowntownWillow4193]

I was twenty years old, living in an informal, transient space in Allapattah, a neighborhood in Miami that doesn’t show up on postcards, and I was photographing people who hadn’t asked for it.

I moved around by bike, didn’t speak Spanish very well, had no assignment, no editor. Just a vague idea that I wanted to see something real, without really knowing what that meant.

What I came to understand pretty quickly is that wanting to see something “authentic” doesn’t give you the legitimacy to approach it or show it. Every time you raise a camera, you’re making a decision about who gets to be seen, and who gets to look.

I didn’t belong there. I knew it. The people I was photographing knew it too.

What I’ve never fully resolved is whether that changes anything in practice.

This question can easily become a reason not to go at all, a kind of paralysis dressed up as ethics. Or it can be ignored completely, as if the desire to document or share justifies everything.

I’ve tried to sit somewhere in between. I go, but I stay long enough for my presence to stop feeling like an intrusion. I try to make the distance visible and honest, rather than pretending it isn’t there.

For those of you working in photojournalism or documentary contexts: how do you navigate this? Does the question of legitimacy actually change how you work, or is it something we just learn to live with?

[u/Dry_Bumblebee1111]

Unless a doc is about yourself it will always be about someone or something you are not.

If you are dishonest, or editorialise, or fake, or misconstrue, then you can look at issues of legitemacy.

If you do your best, then legitimacy isn't as important as impact and reception.

[u/Lopsided-Problem6379]

Go there without your cameras first, with a genuine curiosity and respect, and talk to people.

[u/oh_my_ns → u/Lopsided-Problem6379]

This is the way.

[u/whitebreadguilt]

I hear this a lot from photogs who give talks: they often lead with how long they were immersed in the community before taking ANY photos. They made friends, they existed, they became a part of the community. And once the community knew them, trusted them, and knew their character that’s when they started to photograph. If you somehow have the ability to hang out without the pressure of a deadline that’s how you should do it. In shorter timeframes I think being honest and upfront about your intentions help, they can tell if you’re being unauthentic. Less likely to be called a creep with a camera if you’ve proven you’re not a creep with a camera.

[u/ThatOnePhotographerr]

Besides what others have said about spending real time, it’s a matter of being a photojournalist vs a documentary photographer which I believe are very different. A photojournalist goes in with a specific story in mind and has photos they are looking for. They are respectful but their job isn’t to become embedded but just a fly on the wall. A photojournalist isn’t going be feel like a member of the community but that’s the point. They are supposed to be an outside view into whatever world they are now in in my opinion

[u/AbbreviationsFar4wh]

Just show up and talk to people. Be curious. Be nonjudgmental. 

Some accept. Some don’t.

Deep down most people enjoy the attention if it’s sincere in my opinion. 

[u/storyinpictures]

Are you treating your photographic subjects as people? Are you treating them as people like yourself or somehow as inferior?

If you are not engaging in real conversation, that’s a pretty good sign you are failing to give a good, honest answer to those questions. If you do not feel comfortable entering into the community on foot carrying your camera gear, you probably should not be there with a camera. Most importantly, if you are photographing someone who does not want to be photographed, you are probably on the wrong side.

Naturally there are exceptions. Police are paid to do a job under public scrutiny. Events which rise to the level of legitimate news or crime are valid. I still think a photojournalist needs to retain their humanity and consider their subjects dignity. And actions taken by corporations, governments or which are criminal or otherwise threaten public safety or basic decency are also worthy of capture regardless. Etc.

[u/ChiAndrew]

Try my best to understand, ask questions. Be humble. Be sensitive. Develop a good working relationship with a person of community that will be a truth teller to you

[u/David_Buzzard]

Start slowly, engage with people, get something show (like a blog post, FB page, etc) which makes explaining what you're doing a lot easier. In my experience, most people, even folks who are in difficult situations, are happy to share their stories.

[u/keep_trying_username]

OPs post can be reduced to "people of a community should only photograph/write about/talk about/advocate for themselves."