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Jan 14 2010

Photojournalists – Providing The Pictures That We Need To See

Posted by Jeff in Comments, Photography

Is there a profession that is any more difficult and emotionally tormenting than that of a photojournalist during a time of disaster and crisis?  Maybe, but I really can’t think of it at the moment.  Earlier today I was at the Boston Globes “The Big Picture” blog, which had just posted the latest images coming out of the country of Haiti.  The images were rife with the pain, suffering, and death that has gripped the small Caribbean nation after a devastating earthquake on January 12th.  As I finished looking at the images, I began to read some of the comments from viewers of the blog.  Mixed in with the calls for prayer and statements of disbelief were comments that were bashing the photographers for not putting down their cameras and helping.  “How can someone just stand there and take pictures while people are digging with their bare hands in effort to find survivors?”, asked one person.

As I said before, it has to be one of the hardest things to do at a time like this.  My response to people who ask that question is this, How much relief do you think would be pouring in to Haiti without powerful images of need and desperation that speak volumes over any written accounting?  While it might seem strange to stand by and take pictures as others suffer, the reality is that a photojournalist acts as the eyes of World in situations like this.  Their images can be the catalyst that starts the relief efforts rolling.  The photographs of pain and suffering and damage aren’t just news accounts, they are the cry for help that is sent around the World and reaches the eyes of those that can’t help but act after witnessing the events.

To further understand the role of the photojournalist, it is helpful to read their code of ethics, especially item 4, which reads “Treat all subjects with respect and dignity. Give special consideration to vulnerable subjects and compassion to victims of crime or tragedy. Intrude on private moments of grief only when the public has an overriding and justifiable need to see.” I can’t think of a more justifiable need for the public to see than there is in an instance such as this.  I would like to think that the efforts of these photographers has helped to bring life-saving assistance to thousands of Haitians instead of the one or two that might have been helped had they put down their cameras.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, January 14th, 2010 at 12:03 am and is filed under Comments, Photography. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

12 Responses to “Photojournalists – Providing The Pictures That We Need To See”
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  1. Alltop says:
    January 13, 2010 at 11:20 pm

    Photojournalists – Providing The Pictures That We Need To See http://bit.ly/4F4rLM Photography.alltop

    Reply
  2. Jeff Revell says:
    January 14, 2010 at 7:15 pm

    Photojournalists – Providing The Pictures That We Need To See http://bit.ly/4rxQ9c # photog #haiti

    Reply
  3. Andrew Deci says:
    January 14, 2010 at 7:24 pm

    RT @PhotoWalkPro: Photojournalists – Providing The Pictures That We Need To See http://bit.ly/4rxQ9c # photog #haiti

    Reply
  4. inf3ktion says:
    January 15, 2010 at 3:21 pm

    Photojournalists – Providing The Pictures That We Need To See http://bit.ly/4rxQ9c # photog #haiti (via @photowalkpro)

    Reply
  5. LO says:
    January 15, 2010 at 3:40 pm

    RT @PhotoWalkPro: Photojournalists – Providing The Pictures That We Need To See http://bit.ly/4rxQ9c # photog #haiti

    Reply
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Comments
  1. gene Lowinger says:
    January 14, 2010 at 8:43 am

    Photojournalists are indeed the eyes and conscience of the World. I’ve heard the ‘rag’ that I should put down my camera and help dozens of times. To do that I’d be just one more of dozens of sets of hands. As a photographer I am one or maybe two at a scene doing what I do best. Most often from how i see it my hands would only get in the way of the rescue efforts anyway.

    What disconcerts me as a photojournalist most however is that my co-workers (other shooters) are all looking for the eye catching shots that will grab public (and thus their editor’s) attention. So often in doing that the story emerges incompletely. The ‘back’ story is often missed entirely. During all that devastation of the poor in Haiti has there been one shooter who broke away from the major scenes to document how the wealthy of the country are responding with complete indifference to the suffering of their fellow countrymen?

    Reply
  2. Victoria Pickering says:
    January 14, 2010 at 8:50 am

    I totally agree with you that photojournalists take on a very difficult and important role in making the news come alive for the rest of the world, and compel others to help out. But it also may involve complex tradeoffs between what is for the collective good and what is good for the individuals in the photographs, either in terms of help for them, their privacy, or their surviving family members viewing the photos. I’ve seen it from the other side a few years ago when the search for my daughter and her death brought on media attention that we didn’t get to control, and media coverage isn’t a benign process from the point of view of those being covered. So while I think that the photographic coverage in Haiti is vital for the relief efforts, there are, as you say, “the one or two that might have been helped had they put down their cameras,” as well as others in the photographs who would not have consented to being photographed had they been given a choice. And, of course, the viewers of the photographs are also a diverse group – the majority may be compelled to help, but there are also some voyeurs. So I think that the results of the photojournalism are necessary and good for our world, but also produce some individual damage. And I also assume that all good photojournalists understand this, which must make their jobs extremely difficult as they try to balance the needs in any specific situation, as well as respond to the goals of their employers.

    Reply
  3. jeff says:
    January 14, 2010 at 11:05 am

    Gene and Victoria, thanks for adding to the discussion. I really enjoyed both of your perspectives on this topic.

    Jeff

    Reply
  4. Iskandar Azaman says:
    January 14, 2010 at 8:12 pm

    I totally agree with you too. The first image that comes up off the link you provided, by Daniel Morel/Getty Images was the one that affected me the most. I was walking by a newsstand last night and that was the image on the frontpage of one of the local papers. It was the first image that i’ve seen of the earthquake victims. It actually made me stop to have a look. You hear about an earthquake somewhere thousands of miles across the world, but you never know how bad it is until you see the suffering. I think these sort of images actually help a lot in jump starting relief efforts. I know it’s a cliche but photojournalists do have ‘pictures that are worth a thousand words’.

    Reply
  5. Kate says:
    January 14, 2010 at 9:43 pm

    Jeff, I couldn’t agree with you more. Photojournalism is one of the most difficult jobs out there. It takes a unique person to balance ethics, employment, and extraordinary circumstances. After being one of the Tsunami survivors and having other survivors benefit – in the form of donations – from the impact that my photos made on other eyes of those that couldn’t help, I realized the importance of photojournalism. If we, as photojournalists, continue to check ourselves and our work, on a image by image basis, showing only the truth, then I think the images and “the photojournalist” are important to our society. I continually ask myself, why I am I taking a particular photo, but I know in my heart that it may help others to ‘see’.

    Reply
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