What does it mean to be voyeur when we take photographs?
Voyeur: a viewer who enjoys seeing the sex acts or sex organs of others.
To be voyeur when we take photographs we may get gratification or self pleasure in taking photographs. One may enjoy taking photographs so much that it could become dangerous to others around them, especially if they’re taking photographs of private things others may find offensive. A photographer cannot just take pictures of other people without their permission, it’s just not acceptable. For example, in dance performances the audience will be asked not to take pictures or videotape the dancers because some may be invading the dancer’s privacy as well as her family’s, which is why the company will provide a videotape and pictures for everyone.
To be voyeur when we take photographs we may get gratification or self pleasure in taking photographs. One may enjoy taking photographs so much that it could become dangerous to others around them, especially if they’re taking photographs of private things others may find offensive. A photographer cannot just take pictures of other people without their permission, it’s just not acceptable. For example, in dance performances the audience will be asked not to take pictures or videotape the dancers because some may be invading the dancer’s privacy as well as her family’s, which is why the company will provide a videotape and pictures for everyone.
What are the ethics of capturing a private moment or invading an individual's privacy in order to make a social/political/artistic statement?
It is common that when someone is trying to prove a point and make a statement, it helps to have a picture to go along with that statement and provide more evidence. Regardless, invasion of privacy is a complete statement on its own and when someone has invaded another’s privacy by taking a picture whether it is something worth taking; it is still a wrong doing.
Do photographers cross boundaries when depicting scenes that are rife with shock value and how?
I do believe that being a voyeur cross boundaries. On the contrary, it is easy to be a voyeur these days because of technologies. Someone who has phone themselves can easily take photographs of someone on the streets, in the restaurants, and many other places. Here are some lists that I think a voyeur is can be crossing the line.
Boundaries Frequently Violated By:
Voyeuring
· Safety (both the victims' and the voyeurs')
· Self-respect
· Order (in relation to the enormous amount of time that is often associated with this behavior)
· Integrity (when behavior is discovered)
· Identity (when comprehending the nature of your actions outside of the feelings they produce)
· Social acceptance (behavior frequently leads to further social isolation and secrecy)
· Crossing the boundary of Privacy
They need to learn that they don't own another person or that person's belongings. They need to learn to respect others. Somewhere along the line, this criminal fails to give their prey basic human dignity. They fail to see anyone besides themselves.
They cross boundaries when voyeurs use videotapes, photographs and films, and even recordings by any electronic means. An example of this is when someone is recording your phone calls or other private conversations. An inappropriate image captured without the consent of that individual images such as naked or only wearing undergarments, buttocks or female breast.
Here are some photographs that illustrate the power of lens in capturing shocking and invasive moments.
Kohei Yoshiyuki’s Koen, or The Park, is a series of black-and-white photographs taken in Tokyo’s Aoyama, Shinjuku and Yoyogi parks in the 1970s. It depicts a form of live performance that the British call “dogging”: people having sex in public while being watched by strangers.
Untitled, 1971
From the series The Park
Gelatin Silver Print
20″ × 24″
From the series The Park
Gelatin Silver Print
20″ × 24″
The “Dogging” (term in the UK having sex in pulbic places, where you can be watched, mainly enjoyed by footballers) was shot by Steven Meisel starred models Anna Selezneva, Daul Kim, Iris Strubegger, and Naty Chabanenko.
This is a photograph of one of the series “Dogging” by Vogue Italia which was banned was believed too indecent.
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Dirty Windows by Merry Alpern |
In 1995, with the unexpected help of an NEA rejection, Merry Alpern became notorious for her photo series "Dirty Windows." Even if they couldn't resist looking, viewers were made uneasy by these voyeuristic images, secretly taken through the bathroom window of a low-rent sex club near Wall Street.
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| An Unlikely Weapon by Eddie Adams |
Photograph by Eddie Adams the 1968 execution of Vietcong guerrilla by the chief of police General Nguyen Ngoc Lan.
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| The Electrocution of Ruth Snyder 1928Photograph By Tom Howard | gelatin silver print |
Photographers are not permitted into executions in the United States. For the notorious Ruth Snyder case, the New York Daily News was desperate to get pictures; so they hired a Chicago Tribune photographer Tom Howard.
A miniature camera was strapped to his left ankle; the shutter release button was concealed within his jacket. As Snyder’s body shook from the jolt, Howard hoisted his pant leg and secretly snapped with a one-use camera.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Moon, Sophia. "The Video Voyeurism Prevention Act: A Legal Primer." Associated Content from Yahoo! - Associatedcontent.com. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/329921/the_video_voyeurism_prevention_act.html?cat=15>.
Goren, Nili. "Critical Essay -." David LaChapelle. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. <http://www.davidlachapelle.com/news/critical-essay/>.
O'Hagan, Sean. "Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera | Photography Review | Art and Design | The Observer." Latest News, Comment and Reviews from the Guardian | Guardian.co.uk. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/may/16/exposed-voyeurism-surveillance-camera-review>.
"Taboo Fashion Editorials - ‘Dogging’ by Steven Meisel in V Magazine (NSFW) (GALLERY)." TREND HUNTER - #1 in Trends - Fashion Trends, Tech, Style, Design, Pop Culture and Marketing. Web. 18 Mar. 2011. <http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/steven-meisel-dogging-v-magazine>.
"Merry Alpern | ArtForum | Find Articles at BNET." Find Articles at BNET | News Articles, Magazine Back Issues & Reference Articles on All Topics. Web. 18 Mar. 2011. <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0268/is_2_38/ai_57475797/>.
