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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

JesseT: Photographing Respectfully, Safely

re: Steve Smith's post yesterday about publishing a young girl in a swimsuit.

I face this issue daily during the summer as I cover life in North Idaho. I do occasionally make photos of children in swim suits, but I do try to limit them for the reasons Steve spoke of. I have formulated my own convictions about how I approach the situation and how I might edit the pictures. When editing, I always look for possible sexual overtones in the photo (most of the time it's a stretch to even think that) and try to stay away from very skimpy bathing suits or very overt cleavage. MamaJD is right that our job to inform, not tittilate. But photos are very important (as important as the words, if you ask a photographer) to newspapers and so good pictures also entertain, to a degree, but we want them to entertain in a universally human way, not a sexual one.

Jesse Tinsley
SR photographer



Huckleberries Online

D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.