Nude photos of Valley children: Art or child pornography?

[Stacey]

Since the day her kids were born, she started taking a nude photograph of them each day.

Schneider said she did it as a way to mark time and said taking the photos helped her appreciate how her children were growing, changing, developing.

As a mother, it was a way to hold onto to time, she said, and onto those youthful moments.

"I want to make art about what's the most important thing in my life and its my children," she explained.

The Phoenix New Times profiled Schneider in its cover story recently.

Along with the article were dozens, if not hundreds of pictures that Schneider took of her children from birth until about the age of 5. Her daughter is now 10, her son 6.

Most of them are full frontal shots.

On Friday night, Schneider displayed some of the photos at The Kitchenette Gallery near Roosevelt and 6th Street in Phoenix.

http://www.abc15.com/news/local/story.aspx...

[amita]

Children are beautiful and have long been the subject of fine art. If people have a problem with that, it's just their impure minds at work.

[William Pena]

Scneider appears to be exploiting her children for the sake of her profession. She claims that taking photographs a way to mark time and said taking the photos helped her appreciate how her children were growing, changing, developing. That's all well and good if she had honored her childrens' privacy. However, Schneider took it much farther and now openly displays the photos for public viewing.

A child is not merely an objet d'art and does not possess sufficient maturity to decide if posing nude is a ppropriate, regardless of the circumstances. Is Schneider promoting child pornography? Perhaps not. However, she is demonstrating incredibly poor judgment as a parent.

[Rebecca Goodwin]

Pena, I agree. When she decided to publish these photo's, she is not respecting her children. An adult has a choice in the matter, children are barely heard. With the world being like it is today, why would you want to put your nude child's photo out there?
Mom seems like the type to think of herself first instead of her kids. Isn't that a real shame. Parents should protect their kids, not exploit them.

[twl]

Rebecca Goodwin wrote:

Pena, I agree. When she decided to publish these photo's, she is not respecting her children. An adult has a choice in the matter, children are barely heard. With the world being like it is today, why would you want to put your nude child's photo out there?
Mom seems like the type to think of herself first instead of her kids. Isn't that a real shame. Parents should protect their kids, not exploit them.

I have to agree with both of you.To a mom it may be art, but to another adult with 'issues' this turns into something way different. These children should never have been subjected to this. What's worse, is that if these kids are recognizable in their neighborhoods or in their schools, they will be victimized even more. It's deplorable to think a mother would initiate this kind of publich humiliation for her kids.

[Crazy Stacey]

I agree that she is exploiting the children for the sake of an art project. I think it is just weird that she takes a picture of them naked everyday. I can't even imagine doing that to my kids. It is weird!

[God]

It's art.
(but maybe she shouldn't have displayed the photos)

[skipper]

HMMMMM
There's no nude photo's of her naked body.

[Stacey]

skipper wrote:

HMMMMM
There's no nude photo's of her naked body.

True.

[amita]

Exploitation of the children does not factor into whether or not the photographs are art. Many great journalistic photographs involve exploitation.

It's hard to make a judgement about the photos without seeing them in context. Maybe they are artsy and not that interesting.

[Bababooeey]

All pictures should be banned period.

[amita]

Of course, if the children think they are being hurt, the mom-photographer should remove the photos from public view.

When the kids are older and can show that they have been harmed, they can seek compensation.

And, also, someone now might be willing to "exploit" the situation by suing on behalf of the kids. There's money to be made, and righteousness to be displayed.

[Maria Antonia]

skipper wrote:

HMMMMM
There's no nude photo's of her naked body.

Maybe she doesn't want to notice the passing of time in her case.