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dition that she had control over which of the photographs could be
published. Bert Stern agreed to this condition. After Monroe s death,
MORALITY, AND WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT " 79
many of the photographs which she did not want published were
displayed in a major feature in Esquire magazine.
Did Monroe s death cancel the agreement and free all the photographs
to be used for commercial gain by the photographer? Was our interest,
as viewers, in the images more important than Monroe s wishes and a
justification for the photographer breaking his word?
2b. If either question prompted a yes, then let us consider a similar
case. Adolf Hitler never liked to be photographed while he was wear-
ing spectacles. His personal photographer, Heinrich Hoffman, made
many pictures depicting Hitler with glasses but never allowed these
images to be released to the public. After Hitler s death, The Sunday
Times published these previously censured photographs.
Was this a case of journalistic enterprise in which the public s right to
know about a historical figure obviated any and all ethical consider-
ations? Do we have less concern regarding this case, than in the identi-
cal case concerning Monroe, because of our lack of warmth towards
the subject, and if so, is there one set of principles for nice people and a
different set for nasty people?
3. Many photographers have become (in)famous for their determination
and tenacity in hounding celebrities. An example is Ron Galella who be-
came somewhat of a celebrity himself due to his unrelenting pursuit of
Jacqueline Onassis. The paparazzi type of photographer has become a promi-
nent aspect of the profession due to the insatiable demand of the public for
images of the rich and famous in every conceivable situation.
Does an individual whose exploits, wealth or ability have given them public
attention pay a fair price for such notoriety in their lack of privacy? Is it
reasonable that the public s appetite for any and all images, no matter how
trivial, of the famous individual can cause acute distress to that person?
4. There are religious and ethnic groups whose beliefs are opposed to
the idea of being photographed. One example of such a sect is the Amish
80 " ON LOOKING AT PHOTOGRAPHS: DAVID HURN & BILL JAY
people of Pennsylvania, a farming community of Fundamentalist Chris-
tians whose faith dictates that image-making is sinful. They explicitly
do no want to be photographed. Yet photographers constantly attempt
to sneak pictures of these individuals without their knowledge, and
photographers boast of their pictures taken at a distance with telephoto
lenses aimed out of car windows, with a quick get-away before the
subjects could react.
We are all curious and intrigued by customs, habits and lifestyles which
differ from our own. Is curiosity a valid excuse for aiding and abetting
a deliberate flouting of the subject s religious beliefs? Can it be argued
that photography, by informing us of the dress, habits and customs of
minority groups, is pulling the world closer to an ideal of the brother-
hood of man? Or: are these photographs exploitive in that the photog-
rapher gains a reputation (and a pecuniary reward) by stealing images
from a subject unwilling to give them?
5. An allied problem for both the photographer and viewer is the fine divid-
ing line between collaboration and exploitation. A subject may be willing to
pose (or not object if later informed of an image taken unawares) yet find
the ultimate use of the picture to be unfair, degrading or dishonest. This may
not be the fault of the photographer who, for various reasons, may not have
control over the context in which the image is used. Who, then, is to blame,
if anyone?
Let us consider an even finer distinction between collaboration and exploita-
tion in the hope of reaching a practical conclusion. Photographs of naked
women are of consuming interest and not only to males. Women s
magazines also publish an inordinate number of female nudes which, in
any other context, would be considered titillating, pandering to prurient
sexual voyeurism, or even grossly exploitive. But that is another issue. The
fact remains that a high proportion of viewers are interested in the un-
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