On The Media just published the transcript of a 2008 broadcast on editorial portrait photography. It’s a worthwhile read, even though some of the questions asked in the piece are not nearly as clear-cut as the author makes them look. What exactly is “fairness” in the context of portrait photography? That’s not as a simple question as it seems. What is more, when a photographer is hired to do her or his job, why would s/he then not do just that, namely what s/he is well known for? Shouldn’t we instead be talking to the photo editors who decide to hire a photographer known for, say, taking photographs from way below the waist line? Needless to say, with a photographer bragging “I went to art school, so I don’t know what those canons and ethics are.” you can be sure what people will be really talking about.