A Little News

I have been a photojournalist for 18 years now. In all those years of shooting I have found the toughest thing to do is infringe upon a person’s mourning with my camera. Technically the photo is usually pretty easy to shoot. That is not the issue. I simply can’t get excited about photographing someone mourning at accidents or fires or other traumatic situations. I have always held the philosophy that a person should be able to have a private moment even if it is happening in a public street. To be fair, not everyone holds this point of view but I don’t have to sleep at night with someone else’s philosophy, I have to sleep with mine.

I’m not trying to put on a halo here. I have photographed family members mourning the loss of someone in a wreck or fire and I will have to do so again. I wish I could tell you when to do this and when not to but I can’t. Much depends on who you are. I am not a person fond of situational ethics but there are times when shooting the picture feels right and there are times when it definitely does not. There are times when I have shot the photo and times I have walked away from it.

To be honest, some people put on a show for the camera. Other people are oblivious to the camera. Some others are conscious of the camera and are obviously trying to avoid being photographed. Every situation is different so there is no one set policy that says shoot in this situation but not in this one. Personally, I try to cover the story without infringing upon a person in a way that would cause them more pain. If I have a chance, I try and talk to them even before I shoot the photo. This allows them to know who I am and that I care about something other than the picture.

I remember covering a fire once and the home owner came over to me and a TV journalist and demanded that we leave and stop taking advantage of him. You will run into that. This man was very mad at us for just being there. We tried to explain our job but his emotion made him unreasonable. I had a friend who was attacked at the scene of a fatal accident when a family member literally assaulted him. Thankfully a deputy was nearby and came to his aide. I was shoved by a drunk and enraged family member while covering a house fire. I have been at other scenes when the family members were very accepting of my presence and understood what I was doing. There is just no way to predict how people will react under pressure.

Don’t forget that when you shoot a photo of someone, you also have to get their ID. That makes a tough job even tougher. (This makes me glad I am not a reporter!) People may have no problem with you shooting but may not even be willing to speak to you much less give you their names. On the other hand, I once had someone come up to me at a shooting and try to tell me the whole story. I finally realized they thought I was a police investigator and was able to point them to a real cop. To say these are fluid situations would be an understatement.

Whenever I walk into a situation like this I do a few things that may help you. First, I want to get a feel for the emotional atmosphere. In other words, how emotionally charged is the situation. This can be a red flag and you should pay extra attention when you walk into a high emotion situation. Journalists can be easy targets of aggression. Next, talk to bystanders. Neighbors of the victim can be an excellent source of information, including names. This allows you to shoot without having to further intrude on the situation. Sometimes this is a matter of logistics, sometimes a matter of courtesy. Either way, it may make your job easier just remember to verify all second hand information before you submit it for publication. Neighbors may also lead you to shots you would not ordinarily even know about. Third, and probably this should be first, put yourself in the person’s shoes you are about to photograph. If that were you out there crying over the loss of your child would you really want a photographer shooting your picture? You remember the old Sunday School golden rule? Do unto others the way you would have them do unto you. Pretty good advice. Finally, is the situation significant enough to intrude upon another person’s grief. That is the ultimate barometer. Grief can’t and shouldn’t be ignored but do be sensitive to the person you are shooting.

About this photo: I was assigned to shoot something at a karate studio following the murder of the popular instructor. I found some of his students outside the building crying with a few flowers on the doorstep. This was an entirely appropriate time to photograph grief. I believe this was done with a 17-35mm on an Nikon D1.

Photo copyright The Decatur Daily. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.