Ethics in visual storytelling often differ between practitioners and oranisations however the following principles are crucial in how I approach my work.

• Consent: Consent remains a challenging topic for many storytellers. The methods of gaining consent are often incredibly varied, as is the content of what someone is giving consent to. I believe consent is an ongoing process, not static permission given once and applicable forever. While this can complicate and slow down the productivity of storytelling, I believe it also ensures participants or subjects are places remain empowered to make decisions throughout a project.
  
  

• Sharing Decision Making: Decision making or participation, as I refer to it is similar to consent in that it can wildly vary between participants. For my final research component as part Masters in Communication for Development studies at Malmo University, I explored the relationship between participation and representation.

  Since exploring the scholarship of participation in storytelling, I realise that my approach is often highly participatory throughout the production and post-production project. The opportunities for and degree of involvement vary significantly from just tokenistic engagement to profoundly transformative participation.

  I hope that in the future, more visual storytellers seek to tell stories that are embedded with greater participation throughout the process.
  

• Stories need to be real: As a documentary storyteller, I have a deep commitment to accurately and honestly telling real stories.

  Often there is significant creative license taken in the creation of purely fictitious stories. While it is commonplace in other commercial or fine arts settings, this is certainly not the case as a documentarian.

  I strive to create stories that the participants believe accurately depict their experience and interaction with me. Similarly, during post-production, I use documentary techniques to ensure a film remains accurate and realistic to what was recorded in camera.