Quote:
Originally Posted by rogueteens
But doesn't that just make it worse? If a photographer stands his ground to take pictures and not run then he/she is in enough control to make a conscious decision to prioritise whether taking pictures or helping people is more important?
After all, I'm not taking about situations where the photographer is in danger but situations where other people need help. People often complain about members of the public videoing situations like we are discussing then uploading them to youtube rather than helping victims, what's the difference between the two? Because one has a job title of "photographer" doesn't give you any moral right to not help a person in distress than a mechanic.
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Depends.
People are going to do what people are going to do. By that, I mean not everyone CAN be a hero. It's not in them. Many people freeze in their tracks, have no idea what to do, run away in panic, or suffer from the bystander effect. The people who actually ACT and help people are usually not the people you think they would be. Just because a guy can take a photo of an incident doesn't mean he is able to run further into danger to help someone. Many conflict photographers will tell you that they feel safer behind their camera, even though that is not reality. So there is probably some psychological thing going on there for many of them.
Also, if others are already helping, and your job is a photographer, why not document it and let those already helping do what it is they do?
In the photo you posted with the black man and white girl, what could the photographer have done to help the situation? And you do you know he wasn't hiding from behind something from a distance away, zoomed in? Just because the image was that close, it doesn't always mean the photographer was. That's why God invented the zoom lens.
So what you have because he was taking a photo instead of helping, is something that moved you and has helped tell the story of what happened. That is important. Perhaps not as important as saving that little girl's life, but letting the world know what happened is pretty high on the important list.
Just my
anyway.