A Little News

If you don’t know yet, as a photojournalist you are going to run into people in every conceivable facet of life and in every circumstance you can imagine and probably a few you can’t imagine. Some of these people will not want to see you there at all. A few of those people REALLY, REALLY don’t want to see you there and they will be vocal, or physical, or both. You will run across people who treat you like an insignificant gnat that they would really like to swat away but can’t because too many people are looking. You will also run across people who treat you like a prince when they have no reason to. And, you will run across people who want very badly to manipulate you into doing what they want. That being said, I can’t remember anyone telling me how to approach any of these people. Oh, and did I mention police officers?

By far the most difficult situations to deal with are those where people have just suffered a traumatic loss. The worst of these for me is the traffic fatality. I despise covering traffic fatalities because, just be honest, I feel more like a vulture in that situation than in any other I can think of. And the worst of the worst in fatality situations is where young ones are killed. When you walk into the middle of those situations you are walking into the most emotionally volatile situation I can think of. When family members come up to the scene, as they inevitably do, you will be seen with little favor and sometimes with open hostility. How you handle people in these situations is absolutely critical and humility is your best weapon.

Having great access to breaking news scenes will allow you to get right up where the action is. Great access comes from having great relationships with police officers and departments.

When you are at the scene of a fatal accident, you will be viewed by almost everyone else there as an outsider who really doesn’t belong. Some will confront you. Some will speak some very evil words about you and they will say them just loud enough for you to hear them. Unless your paper has a good working relationship with the police, you will most likely be told to move away from the scene. The rubber neckers will make sure and glare at you. And everyone there, bystanders, police and emergency personnel, will try and protect the victim and the family from you. It is a very difficult situation. Some officers will even come up to you and tell you that you cannot shoot the scene which is not true. You have every right to shoot the scene; however, you don’t have the right to encroach upon the scene in any way that will impede the rescue work or the police investigation and you don’t have the right to defy a police order. (Sometimes the police lines are imaginary!) Officials may also prevent you from even approaching the scene and there is really very little you can do about it right then and there.

When you begin working an accident scene do the smart thing and shoot something quickly, as soon as you approach the scene. It may be a terrible photo but you will at least have a photo if someone runs you off. Then work your way in from the edges of the scene and work your angles and stay the heck out of the way. If you have good relations with your police officers, you may just walk right up to the scene and begin working. If you don’t have good relations or if you don’t know if you do or not, work the edges and move in slowly. Always be conscious of the victim. You are not forbidden from shooting victims and most emergency workers know this and won’t try and stop you unless the person is dead or in extremely critical condition. Our newspaper has a policy where we won’t run any photo of a victim who is dead or if their life and death status is in doubt. Explaining that to an officer can be very helpful and I have done it more than once. However, keep in mind that what you do today affects what you will have access to tomorrow. If officers feel you are being unduly intrusive they will keep it in mind and keep you further back the next time.

Most police officers are really good people. They put on the badge to serve and protect and if you approach them in relaxed times and talk to them they will find the same thing out about you. When an officer asks for a print for his scrapbook or something like that just go ahead and give him one. Pay for it yourself if your paper won’t do it. Stuff like that is just good politics. No matter how you slice it, make sure the guy with the badge understands you are on the same side as him. At the scene of an accident I find it is always better to just comply with an officer’s orders without argument. If he says to move, I move. If he asks me not to take pictures, I may ask why in a very polite and professional manner. This may allow me to overcome whatever objections he may have. While he doesn’t have the right to keep me from taking pictures in most situations, he does wear the gun and he can arrest me regardless of right and wrong. The charges would be dismissed, of course, but the relationship with the officer would be ruined. Keep in mind, there will be other days and other accidents, other shootings, other arrests and many times you will need police access to a scene. Ask yourself if the picture in front of you is worth the dispute and act accordingly.

I had an encounter with an officer at the scene of a traffic accident last year over where I parked. I had to move my car and cross a very busy four lane highway on foot (not recommended). After the scene cleared, I went over and had a calm word with him. He recognized me, knew who I worked for but he thought I was parking in the way of an incoming ambulance. We talked and I made sure there was no problem between us and then apologized for causing a potential problem. We have continued to work well whenever we are scenes together.

Whenever you cover an accident or fire or any other unfolding emergency situation you must remember that the number one priority is resolving the situation and not making pictures. Your ability to shoot is not the first priority of anyone on the scene except you. With that in mind, don’t do anything to hamper the efforts of the emergency workers. Theirs is the top priority. Aide them if you can but mostly just stay out of their way and follow their instructions. There are times when something has to be shot and you have to break the rules to do it. Whenever this happens and you have to violate a police order, do it in a way that is discreet and does not show up the officer. Get your shot but remember the old army adage to live to fight another day because in a career there are many other days. Over a period of time, officers, firefighters and paramedics will come to recognize you and, if you have built up a level of trust, accept your presence as they would one of their own. That is the long term goal you work toward in covering spot news.