Thread by @Margcatela

A 🧵 about ethical ways to build an image bank in #comdev, #globaldev:

At @Streetnet1, we never had a professional image bank until last year. That's when we made the decision to hire professional photographers in each region we work to take pictures-especially portraits. (1/6)

We wanted portraits of street vendors doing their work in a dignified way. But we did not want these vendors to be anonymous faces. We put the photographers in contact with our affiliates on the ground to capture their members, their names, their stories (with permission). (2/6)

That is why I can tell you, for example, that this vendor's name is Oeun Malis, and she is a member of our affiliate IDEA in #Cambodia. She's been vending for 5 years & was 28 years old at the time.

We can't get the same level of detail for all photos. But we sure tried. (3/6)

Knowing that street vendors are also fed up with being photographed by strangers as if they are a piece of the exotic landscape, we also tried for them to have a copy of their pictures & our contact information, so they would have some degree of ownership over the images. (4/6)

We were lucky to work with great photographers in #Senegal, #Cambodia, #Brazil & #SouthAfrica that were committed to following these ethical guidelines. We now have a wonderful global image bank of portraits of street vendors, each one showcasing their humanity & dignity. (5/6)

But we are still learning & reflecting about how we can make our communication more ethical, especially in the cases where we must denounce violence & harassment against our members.

We look forward to exchanging ideas & experiences on this issue! 😃 (6/6)