Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education (CMHSE)
Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
The University of Auckland
Private Bag 92019
Building 507, Level 2. Grafton Campus
22-30 Park Ave. Grafton
Auckland 1023. New Zealand
www.health.auckland.ac.nz
Email: drui662@aucklanduni.ac.nz
GUIDELINES FOR ETHICAL PRACTICES CONCERNING PHOTOGRAPHS
For participants of the study: “Clinical education in times of Covid-19: an international photo-elicitation study”
Through these guidelines we encourage you to seek for permission/consent to take photographs of people and/or
private locations for the purposes of this study or, if the photographs have already been produced, to seek for
permission/consent to the photographs to be included in this study.
CHALLENGE
STRATEGY
Already existing Photographs
Creating New Photographs
How to obtain verbal permission
You must contact all identifiable people in
the photographs, explain the purpose of
the photographs intended to be used; and
seek for their permission for them to be
included in the study.
You must introduce yourself and explain
the purpose of the photographs intended
to be taken, and the way it will be used;
and seek for their permission for them to
be included in the study.
What to do for verbal
permission in private locations
(e.g., organisations, workplaces)
Participants must contact the relevant
authority of the identifiable institution/s in
the photographs, explain the purpose of
the photographs intended to be used; and
seek for their permission for them to be
included in the study.
Participants must introduce themselves to
the relevant authority of the institution/s
and explain the purpose of the
photographs intended to be taken, and the
way it will be used; and seek for their
permission for them to be included in the
study.
When to seek verbal
permission?
Ask for permission from individuals who
have been photographed at close range
and are therefore, identifiable and the
main subject of the photograph.
Ask for permission before photographing
individuals when they will be
photographed at close range and will be
therefore, identifiable and the main
subject of the photograph.
When it is not necessary to
obtain verbal permission?
1.When photographs were/will be taken of groups of five or more people in public spaces,
where no individual was/will be the main subject of the picture.
2.When a person was incidental to a photograph, i.e., s/he wasn’t the main focus of the
photograph, and s/he is not identifiable in the picture.
3.When individuals are not identifiable in the photograph.
Who to talk to for permission to
photograph children (people
under the age of 16), and/or
impaired people?
You must contact parents, guardians or
legal representants of all people (e.g.,
children (people under the age of 16),
and/or impaired people) in the
photographs, and explain the purpose of the
photographs intended to be used; and seek for
their permission for them to be included in
the study. You must also seek permission for
the children/person themselves.
Participants require permission from
parents, guardians or legal representants
before being photographed and included
in this study. You must also seek
permission from the children/person
themselves.
What to do if anyone asks you
to NOT take/include a
photograph
You must respect peoples’ autonomy.
Participants must respect peoples’
autonomy, e.g., their right to refuse to be
photographed.
What to do if it is not possible to
contact people to obtain verbal
permission?
to seek for permissions. (E.g.,
no contact details)
We will de-identify all the photographs
by removing any information that
might allow the individual/institution to
be identified, such as rare or unique
characteristics, facial features, and other
distinctive physical details: rare visible
medical condition, physical marking,
or tattoo/s.
We will apply a blurring photographic
technique to de-identify photographs.
Not applicable
Although the aforementioned is considered in line with universal ethical codes, it is not enough to protect people’s
right to privacy. Therefore, we will de-identify all photographs you submit, unless someone appearing in
your photographs chooses to be identifiable in the photograph. For this, yo must seek for written and signed
informed consent from these people. Please see document 'CONSENT for people and/or institutions
appearing in participant’s photograph/s'.
If this is not attainable, we will entirely de-identify the photographs for them to be used for the purposes of
this study.
Copyright concerns when taking photographs and/or selecting photos that have been taken at workplace and/or
during work hours:
1) Be aware of your employer’s potential ownership to intellectual property (rights in work products) created by
you as their employee during work hours and/or within the involved facilities.
2) Employers do not necessarily own materials created by you as an employee. For example, in cases where these
are tangential (or unrelated) to your normal duties (e.g., you are not being paid to be a photographer).
3) You should only submit those photographs for which you own the copyright.
Approved by the University of Auckland Human Participants Ethics Committee on 5 July 2021 for three
years. Reference Number UAHPEC21879.
