hands and feet

A few times I’ve been tasked with taking photographs with strict child-protection controls- for example in South Africa documenting an orphanage which homes HIV+ orphans, and in the UK, promotional material for youth events- with the obvious issues of identifiable children in the photographs.
Taking photographs in this environment can be tricky- here are my tips for producing good photographs which cover your brief and respect child-protection guidlines.

1. Before you start: What is the brief- have you been asked to take photographs? If not- think really carefully about how your snapping could be perceived. If you’ve been asked- by whom- does the person have suitable authority? Have they obtained permission from guardians? If not, don’t go there at all. No means no.
2. Prepare: From a child protection point of view, consider permission forms, taking along some form of ID or a business card to reassure people of your legitimacy and accountability. People are assured if they know who is taking photos, why and that they could access them. Who knows, parents might get in touch to order prints or commission portraits. In general: be accountable and flexible.
   From a creative point of view, consider meeting the brief- if it’s to show kids at play, consider shots of their toys, sand, their paintings and grubby fingers- it’s amazing how much can be implied without featuring individuals. If the shoot is to emphasise sorrow, think about the postures possible without faces.
   If there are likely to be people you know wouldn’t mind your taking photos, for example if there is a youth event and you know some of the parents who will be happy for you to take photos,
3. Connect: Even if the shots you finally produce can’t contain head-shots, don’t ignore faces- to take photos of kids well you need to connect, be friendly. Make sure you give yourself enough material without faces, but take some with them in- and remember to edit carefully.
4. Edit and review: When reviewing consider the limitations- exactly how vague must the photos be? Can a child be identified from your photo? Always show the material to whoever bears final responsibility and explicitly discuss the suitability of shots used in terms of child-protection issues. Mark your stock so that you don’t accidentally use it elsewhere.

Some examples

Click a shot for a larger view.

Here a shot that doesn’t show the child’s face manages to express an awful lot about her surroundings.

Taking photos of this kid I made a good friend- before these shots we’d messed around for ages, taking it in turns to take photos of one another- obviously all of the shots I couldn’t use, but it built up a repore- later on I got him to wave his arms around and cover his face.

Kids love playing and props can be real handy. Bring along a hat or a scarf. If the kids are doing blind-folded races like here, then go with it.

This scenario was a craft morning at the local sunday-school- it’s all about the activities, so focus on the hands and activities are good.

These images are hosted on Flickr.