A good photograph leaves room for the subject’s dignity beyond the viewer’s curiosity.

A photograph can take more than it gives. Curiosity is not permission, and a picture of somebody at their most exposed can be arresting precisely because it uses them. The real question is whether that person could stand beside the image and still recognize themselves as someone rather than a subject. Interest is easy, and leaving a person their standing is the part that takes thought.

Before you press the shutter on a stranger, ask whether you would happily show them the result. When the answer is no, put the camera down or ask first.