I want to be clear about my personal ethics and how I handle sponsored or promotional material on this website and my YouTube channel.
I value honesty and transparency, and I want to be upfront with how I approach sponsored content, items I've been given for review, and other related topics.
Most of my articles and videos are not sponsored. If I don't clearly state that something has been sponsored, then it's not sponsored and I created the piece entirely on my own. When I do work with a company that is providing a cash sponsorship or product, I will only do so if I feel that company's product, services, and values are in line with my own and that the topic will help my audience of modern photographers.
I will always clearly state (near the beginning of an article or video) if the piece has been sponsored or if I've been provided something at no cost.
Some additional points:
- My content is my own. I create and produce each video based on what I’m excited about and what I think will be relevant/helpful to my audience at that time.
- My reviews are always as objective as possible and my opinions are always my own.
- I do not submit previews of videos or articles to anyone for approval or revisions.
- I appreciate when companies offer information about their products/services, but I will only include what I think is relevant and necessary in any videos I create.
- I will work to seek answers for anything about a product/service that I don’t fully understand to make my videos as accurate and helpful as possible.
- YouTube’s “includes paid promotion” option will be checked any time a video features a product or service that was provided at no cost, even if it’s not an official sponsorship.
- When I've been provided something at no cost, that item is used, returned, or donated after the material has been created. I will not sell products that have been given to me.
- I’m more than happy to let others share my videos as long as the post links directly to the original video uploaded to my YouTube channel. Videos may not be re-uploaded elsewhere.
Thank you for taking the time to read and understand my Ethics Statement. This probably doesn’t cover every scenario under the sun, but it should give you a pretty solid idea of how highly I value the integrity behind what I do and the relationship with anyone who takes the time to check out something I’ve made.
This statement was adapted from the one by Tom Buck, and in that same spirit, you're free to copy or adapt it for your own use as well.