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I, working in the underwater realm, commit myself to the following code of ethics and bringing education and awareness around my encounters, to help preserve our oceans and blue planet!
- I will use my skills and ability as an image maker to attempt to faithfully reproduce the beauty, splendor and majesty of the underwater world and by doing so, to encourage other to become engaged in protecting it.
- I will use my skills and ability as an image maker to attempt to faithfully reproduce the beauty, splendor and majesty of the underwater world and by so doing, encourage others to become engaged in protecting it.
- I will use my skills and my voice in documenting the challenges the oceans face to raise awareness and as a call to action.
- I will not stress or endanger subjects (fauna and flora) for the sake of an image. If the position of the subject is not contributing to a good image, I will either just document or observe. I will not manipulate or move subjects to an unnatural environment, not by touching nor by provocation.
- I will work locally if applicable and contribute time to document and tell stories in support of local conservation initiatives.
- I will consider the impact my image has once it gets distributed without the right context and withhold images that can spark sensationalism and wrong practices.
- I will research my subjects before attempting to take images or footage of them, hence being aware of their behavior in the water and my reaction to them. This will create an awareness needed to keep the subjects and myself safe in the water. I realize by not understanding my subject I can unwillingly provoke a potentially dangerous situation in the water, thereby potentially creating a media backlash that disadvantages the subject (cf. sharks in the media).
- I will practice what I preach! For example, in the fight against single-use plastic, I will use my reusable water bottle, hot drinks container, and so on. When attending events, I will share my concerns and ideas and will try to inspire not by pointing fingers but by giving the right example myself. I will not accuse nor name and shame but graciously lead by example to inspire others to do the same.
- I will inform myself and people around me about sustainable food and better consumption choices, but will do that in a respectful and polite way.
- I will create a rational dialogue with those that want to learn, talk at schools and inspire the next generations.
- I will commit to negotiating a fair price when my images are used for commercial purposes. This will allow me and future image makers to create images with an impact to show the world and tell important stories.
- I will contribute images or video/film to United Nations World Oceans Day communication activities and will take part in promoting the UN WOD Photo Competition.
- Where I can, I will participate in UN World Oceans Day events and spread the word on social media #unworldoceansday. I will also help building the UN WOD movement during the whole year and will direct people to the portal site to share events, resources and content.
- I will contribute to the UN World Oceans Day ripple effect in everything I do and understand that actions speak louder than words.
- I will commit to dialogue and looking for constructive solutions when challenged and understand the power of compromise and diplomacy to obtain a common goal in conservation.
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