The One Time a Photographer Should Be Mean

Are you kind? That sounds like an odd question to ask in a photographic article, but it impacts your work profoundly. However, there is one circumstance where you should be mean to other photographers.

Photographers shoulder a responsibility. Our work impacts those around us and the planet we live on. Whether we take that responsibility seriously or don’t care about the effect of our work is reflected in the photos we produce, and the reply to that one simple question sums up how good a photographer you are: Are you kind?

Why Be Kind

Kindness is good for you. It is proven to increase self-esteem, compassion, and empathy, and it improves mood. It can also decrease blood pressure and cortisol, a hormone directly correlated with stress.

It is one of the main principles of all the major religions and philosophies around the world. The idea of caring for others can be found in the writings of Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and others.

Moreover, philosophers as far back as Aristotle argued why kindness is important. Emmanuel Kant said it was our duty to be kind, and Jeremy Bentham and J.S. Mill said that being kind had good outcomes.

Despite that, some philosophies such as postmodernism, relativism, and skepticism suggest that morality is not a set of universally accepted rules, and, of course, some powerful people are the extreme opposite of kind. They deal in dishonesty, deception, and aggression, resulting in untold suffering. Nevertheless, history has shown they invariably get their comeuppance, and the organization, belief, or country for which they stand ends up losing.

On the other hand, simple acts of kindness not only do good for society and those around you but benefit you as well. Multiple peer-reviewed scientific papers have shown that performing regular, simple acts of kindness boosts your health. Consideration and compassion reduce inflammation and protect you from chronic illnesses. They also enhance your mental health.

Moreover, some economists say people behave altruistically because others intend to behave altruistically toward them in return. So, that adage "do as you would be done by" holds.

Similarly, studies have shown that participating in the creative arts generates kindness in people. Throughout history, art has been used to convey emotions, ideas, and values, thus inspiring empathy. It helps us to understand others’ perspectives. We see the world through the artist’s eyes, and never more so than with photography.

Research has proven that even viewing images of acts of kindness helps people find inspiration, while undertaking acts of kindness has an even greater effect.

There are other benefits, too. Kindness leads to stronger community connections, fostering a collaborative environment within the art community. That can bring valuable opportunities to network with other photographers and artists. This is partly due to the reputation that kindness brings and the positive reactions from others in the photographic and wider communities. Consequently, the photographer gains a sense of belonging.

Being respected by your community helps build self-confidence, which, in turn, leads to you being willing to take greater creative risks. It also leads to greater resilience and the ability to handle criticism. Furthermore, you will see setbacks as opportunities to improve.

Your Photographs Mirror You

Although not always the case, a photograph usually depicts a realistic view of a small part of the world. It communicates a close approximation of how the world looked to the photographer at a fixed place and moment. Therefore, what you notice and how you depict it reflects your personality.

Let’s take a real-life example of a boudoir photographer. I didn’t know him other than by his reputation. He was renowned for his less-than-appropriate behavior toward some of his models, and word quickly spread around the town where he lived for young women to avoid being photographed by him. His misogynistic attitude was reflected in his photography, which lacked taste and any artistic merit. (A photographer friend of mine described the guy’s work as cheap 1970s porn.) The boudoir photographer’s business folded, and his reputation was permanently tarnished in his community.

Meanwhile, another photographer's business in the same community is thriving. He treats his models respectfully, never speaks salaciously to them, and always asks if they want to be accompanied by a chaperone.

Photographs Are a Double-Sided Mirror

However, there is a dichotomy here. How you view a photograph also mirrors your personal qualities.

For example, some people lack empathy and the emotional intelligence to understand what the photographer's images convey. They fail to see the beauty or benevolence that the photographer was depicting. Thus, they become limited in their own creativity because of their inability to find inspiration from other people's work.

When someone says that they don’t find inspiration from others’ photography, that says much more about the person commenting on the work than the photographer. True artists can find inspiration everywhere they look.

The One Time To Be Mean

Despite all that, there is one area where the photographer should remain mean: when one photographs something rare in nature.

News articles here in the UK, and elsewhere in the world, have repeatedly reported how unusual species of birds, insects, plants, and fungi are disturbed and even pushed to the brink of extinction by photographers who pay no regard to the conservation of the species. They do everything they can to get the shot they want, no matter the cost to the subject.

The locations of these subjects are shared on social media, and hoards of people descend from all over the country just to see and photograph them.

But surely one more person won’t make a difference if you tell a friend, will it? Sadly, it will.

Rare plants and fungi are often found in fragile habitats, and the very species being sought can be trampled underfoot. Furthermore, even small disturbances can mean the difference between birds successfully breeding and failure.

For example, in the UK, the red-listed black grouse and capercaillie are in danger of extinction. The male birds gather in a “lek” to compete for female attention with their courtship display. Sadly, photographers have encroached and deliberately disturbed the birds to take pictures of the displays, causing breeding to fail.

Wherever you are in the world, there will be similarly endangered animals that photographers deliberately disturb to get the photo.

While you might be the most environmentally conscious photographer out there, with an in-depth awareness of wildlife and its habitat, and perhaps you are also the kindest person anyone will ever meet—not everyone else is. Some people don’t give a flying flamingo about the subject and its conservation. They are only concerned about getting the photo. So, be mean and keep your sightings of rare wildlife to yourself.