John Wallace July 30, 2018

Safety and Sexual Misconduct

In light of recent events, we have discovered the need to engage in a discourse regarding sexual misconduct and safety with you, our community. This should go without saying, but we at H do not condone or accept the existence of this vulgar malpractice. If you or a friend, a colleague, or a loved one is sexually harassed or assaulted in any capacity, please know that we at H will do everything in our power to provide relief and combat the offender residing within our community.

With that being said, let us move on to precautions. While the fault will ALWAYS lie solely with the offender, we still need to address the issue of inexperience. Sexual harassment and assault are significantly more likely to occur if the potential victims do not possess sufficient knowledge or the skills to deal with a dangerous situation. In this article, we will outline some practices that will enable you to remain safe when attending your first shoot or photo walk:

Safety & Sexual Misconduct

Bring a Friend

Even if you are 7ft tall and weigh 325 pounds, you should still have a friend or trusted adult accompany you to your first shoot or meet up with a new photographer, videographer, company, or agency. Make sure you tell the creator you plan on working with that you are bringing a friend or two with you, so as to elicit a response from them.

If said creator insists that you not bring someone with you, do not attend the shoot and cancel it. Any sane and sensible creator will happily encourage you to bring a friend or adult with you to your first, second, third, fourth etc. collaboration.

Additionally, make sure that your friend or trusted adult accompanies you for the duration of the shoot, as a predatory individual will actively seek out every opportunity to cause you distress and harm.

Stay Public

When planning a shoot or event with a creator that you have not met, insist that you only operate in highly-public areas. Or, areas in which you feel most comfortable. If the creator in question recommends that you shoot in a location that is less-public.

Make sure that you do your research on the area and employ other precautions that will prevent potential misconduct.

Check Their Profile

You will obviously have looked at their profile. But, have you checked it?

We recommend that you take into account their followers, tagged photos, rate of engagement, and any aspect of their online presence which could address a concern.

If you are unsure of how to go about conducting this process, do not hesitate to ask fellow creators for their input. Or, email us at H. We will happily take a look at a creator’s profile for you.

Talk to People they have Worked With

One of the best ways to learn more about a creator is to talk to people that they have worked with. Any member of our collective should be willing to elaborate upon previous encounters with a specific creator.

Talk to the Creator

This is self-explanatory but remember to take every remark with a grain of salt. Moreover, do not be afraid to ask the creator the “hard” questions. If anything communicated by the creator comes across as worrying or concerning, employ alternative precautions or cancel the shoot. We can assure you that no photograph, video, or asset is worth dealing with emotional and/or physical trauma.

Meet-ups and Photo-walks

Meet-ups and photo-walks are a breed of their own. Meets are generally held in public areas or vetted studio spaces. So, you won’t have to conduct a detailed review of the location.

At an event, you will be surrounded by dozens if not hundreds of creators. You should not have to be concerned for your safety unless you are in transit to a second or third location.

However, this does not mean that you should not be wary of your surroundings. If a single creator or small cluster of creators ask you to leave the event to shoot in a separate area. Make sure you are in the company of others. Or, that you employ any of the precautions above before departing.

Report the Creator (if necessary)

On our platform, we have a feature that allows creators to report other creators. Please do not hesitate to use this feature if you feel that a creator or group of creators on our platform is/are hazardous. Each case will be reviewed immediately by our team. To that end, please include a detailed account of the incident(s) in your report. You can find the “Report Creator” hyperlink on the top left of their H profile:

We at H understand that this article may be perceived as unnecessary. Or, that this information could be considered to be “Common sense.”

But, based on the continued re-occurrence of sexual harassment and assault in the media community across the United States. We consider this to be a necessary measure. We would like to re-iterate that if you are a victim of a sexual harassment or assault, we at H will be there for you unfailingly.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns in regard safety and sexual misconduct, please email Contact@TheHHub.com with any relevant information and queries.