I heard a revving engine. Then a screech. Then a crash. And then I saw a man get hit by a car. Just moments ago.
Actually, he wasn’t simply hit: I caught view of him milliseconds after he’d been struck by one car, while slammed momentarily between it and another car, this one parked. They were smashed–bumper to bumper–and as the two cars recoiled off one another, he crumpled to the ground.
I was the first on the scene along with Mikal and Kate from the studio. Mikal was on the line with 911 in seconds. The stricken man writhed on the ground grabbing his thigh, pelvis, shin. Groaning. A young driver emerged from the car, in shock, pale-faced, horrified. Hyperventilating.
The driver was the man’s 15 year old daughter.
He’d been helping her learn to parallel park. He’d gotten out of the car to direct her. She mistook the gas from the brake. And it went badly.
It was only after getting the man stable on his back, his head on a pillow with help on the way, that I was able to take a moment to think along a non-mission-critical path. I had my camera with me, as I always do. But I wasn’t about to take a photo. I couldn’t fathom it. For another brief moment, I felt dirty for even thinking about it. But some people can and some people do take photos in times like this. During war, during trama, during accidents, and sometimes these images are deeply important. Other times it’s cold and shallow to shoot. And a horrible invasion of privacy.
So how do we know when not to shoot?
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[For the record, I wrote this yesterday intending to publish it immediately. Decided I needed to let it sit for a bit. This morning with some clarity, decided I’d love to hear from some others.]
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Read your tweet yesterday & I prayed for the victims and I thanked God that He sent you guys there to help. You did the right thing by helping first, then document, & wait for some time to blog about it.
That's a good formula. It shows good character & being sensitive. Each of us can be the only judge to what our true intentions are. Some may look in disgust, but you do what you do because you're an artist and see life through a different lens. Some people will never understand that.
I was pulled out of a rolled over car by a Good Samaritan when my car hydroplaned. I think he took pictures of my vehicle afterwards, but I wasn't offended. I can see he was emotionally attached to the situation. Looking back at my photo humbles me.
I have a feeling you would shoot the moment in a way that keeps the privacy of the victims, yet share the photojournalistic journey of an incident that has changed one's life. Peace & Blessings…
My paramedic friends have told me, when first at the scene of an accident, obviously call 911. BUT, he says, unless you are certified to perform CPR, or a paramedic yourself, its best not perform any medical procedures on the injured person.
You can easily make things worse for the injured, or even permanently disable them, just by touching them. You never know what diseases the other people might have.
Its best to try to console them or talk to them until the paramedics get there.
That being said, if you can help dont shoot. But it really does depend on the circumstances, and it seems like you did the right thing.
This is actually a very simple question with an even less complicated answer. Do what your conscience tells you is the right thing to do. I am a true believer in general, that a human beings conscience will dictate what he does and says. So just do the next right thing.
As for me, I am in the news business, the sports business, and shoot portraits, products, weddings, and on and on both in still photography AND television and I have run up on this conundrum a number of times. I have shot when I wasn't the care giver, and never crossed my mind when the care was all my responsibility. Once others take over and there is nothing left for me to do, I shoot. But that's MY conscience talking.
http://theiconicimage.blogspot.com/
I split my time between professional adventure photography and the firehall. I regularly see some messed up stuff (highway rescue) and people in criticle situations. I am also the scene photographer once the patients (or deceased) have been loaded.
For investigation, training, and debriefing I shoot as much as I can (including deceased as that is a part of some investigations). I can also understand the value of war and social tragedy photography in and for our history.
What it comes down to is what are you using it for? We use trauma images to prepare for such events, but to just use it for viewing pleasure is, IMO crossing the line. I have the ability to work under major stress and excitement but I do not have the ability to erase the images in my mind from all the nasty stuff I have ever seen. Motivation should come down to the positive and responsible outcome of the tragedy, not for entertainment. Not every event is newsworthy.
Sorry for the spew.
I'd never shoot anyone that I feel would be inappropriate if the roles were reversed … that is, if I was the one being photographed.