Road accident

Duncan you might like to make sure the link to 'my website' isn't broken as it no longer takes you to your flickr page just the welcome page.

Mike

I have photographed much worse things, professionally. It is what I was paid to do - my job, although I have to say that none of it was ever used. Just too graphic.

What I find very distasteful is the whole covert hiding in the car business. It made my toes curl. If the pictures had been taken openly were being offered to a news organisation I'd be OK with it but Flickr? No way.

Ken - out of interest when required to take shots of this type do you just shut down your feelings and get on with it and develop a thick skin to deal with the comments you no doubt get from those concerned with the incident. Or are you lucky enough to be recognised as just 'doing your job' and left to get on with it?

Mike

There is value is images of distasteful and horrifying events. They need to be recorded and remembered, either to assist in the reconstruction of events or to remind us to avoid such pitfalls in life. In some instances events are later dismissed, diluted or even denied and the photographs can keep us aware of things that we need to know.

Sometimes covert photography is also OK, as witness that famous shot of Stalin in full flow at a rally.

Like everything else, circumstances can define what is and is not acceptable to do and I'm not making any reference in this to the OP's question.

What I will say is that we generally as human beings know when what we are doing feels right or wrong.

Its kind of hard to say, in the worst situation I have experienced it was a mixture of all the things you mention plus being human. I wont go in to all the specifics here , too upsetting frankly, but twice I have filmed someone dying.

In one instance it was a documentary about a person's death, he wanted the film made but that didn't make it any easier for his wife and young family to have a film crew in the house at the time.

On another occasion a competitor dropped down dead at a sports event under our camera position, we were directly 20 feet above him.

On neither occassion could you lend assistance, there were mecical professionals there in any case. I dont think it is the job of a photojournalist (although I wouldn't really categorise myself as such) to self-censor but to bring back images from the edges of human experience.

You might be shocked at the material that comes into any news agency or broadcaster all the time from war zones or earthquakes. It is the editors job to make some kind of judgement call.

I'm sure I would be shocked at what is submitted - many of us will recall the shots from the Biafran war and Vietnam but I think you are referring to more local events.

It must have been harrowing to document someone's death even with their family's support. I am sure I couldn't do it.

Off on another tangent you've done sports photography as well then? Is there anything you've not done in this line?

Mike

I'm very proud to say that I have never done sports photography. However, I did make a film about a sport once for BBC2. Someone has put a 'taped off the telly version' on youtube, this is part one of five:

link

As you say 'a sport' - of sorts!

Fun to make I hope.

While I agree that in the type of examples you quote - state repression etc photos would be justified, but I am not sure how that applies to this example.

There is a line between the examples John has quoted and the prurient and well...

I admire, but sadly, cannot share your confidence in human nature John.

Oggy, what you say is consistent with your opinion of the CAB and Trading Standards and you are entitled to your opinion.

Pray elucidate.

Many years ago ( 1967 ) my late father filmed the tragic accident which befell Lorenzo Bandini and his Ferrari at Monaco.He was using his Super 8 cine camera and always believed that the second fire was caused by the press helicopter swooping low and causing a downdraft.
By the time he had returned to the UK he realised that Bandini had succumbed to over 70% burns and died in hospital.The cine film was never developed and was destroyed.
I respected him greatly for that.........................

A touching story and one, I fear, would not often be replicated in this age of Youtube and tabloid sensationalism.

I wonder if the film might have been useful for helicopter pilots and the authorities, though, to help prevent the same thing ever happening again?

How very true robbie_d , and what a sad reflection on our society today. I wonder who started all this hunger for sensationalism and voyeurism ? Father was no wimp - as a Flight Lieutenant Dental Surgeon in the RAF he had to identify flight crew many times by just the teeth remaining in their heads - not for the faint hearted ! But it would never have occurred to him to "sell the pictures" of the Monaco incident as he respected ( and knew ) many of the drivers and appreciated their skill and daring in what was then a very very dangerous sport ( some would say before Sir Jackie Stewart even foolhardy ).