Image: Damon Winter/NY Times
An interesting headline, not one I particularly agree with but the headline to and Article I looked at this morning and it grabbed my attention.
Everyone is aware of the great devastation that is crippling Haiti, we have seen the pictures in the papers and magazines, the footage on the news, heard the calls from charity drives, many of us have answered.
But the reading of the article raised some questions. The objective of photojournalism has always been: exposure creates awareness, awareness can create empathy and empathy creates action, whether it be via charity drives, gift giving or donations. Of course the makers of these images need to be compensated for their efforts and so they should. But as the digital age rolls on and the ability to obtain professional photography gear becomes easier and more affordable, are there more and more people simply trying to cash in on disasters like this all over the world?
Photographers in Haiti face shortages........I’m sorry but shouldn’t we be worried about the people of Haiti facing shortages?? I ask you, if the people there to create awareness and inspire action are actually tying up resources that would normally be given to those who have lost their homes and families, haven't they gone a bit far?
Within 24 hours of this disaster the area would have been crawling with photographers from all over the world, there to capture the brutal truth and transmit it to the world as it happens, this is of course is the ultimate power of photography, a moment of shear terror and pain experienced by a single person for a single minute that ordinarily would be had, then lost. Is captured, frozen in time and beamed around the globe to be served up in front of billions along with their morning coffee. This of course can start a chain reaction of sympathy and charity resulting in aid arriving to the people who need it very quickly.
A lot of these photographers will be sent there on assignment, with a guaranteed magazine cover or spread, a dedicated spot on the nightly news at 6pm or printers are holding the press waiting for these photos to go ahead and print tomorrows newspapers. But most of these photographers jumping on planes will not have a editor to answer to and will be hoping to get some cash from the images they capture while there.
But once they arrive, these people will need food, they will need water, they will need shelter and as such will be taking some of the aid that probably should be going to those who need it.
That’s not to say photographers should not go, far from it. Many of those un-assigned photographers will pick up a few publications and if just one person is inspired to give because of the image they saw, it was worth that photographer going.
So here is my plea to those photographers wishing to visit this country and others that will be affected by disaster in the future. If you think you can make a difference please buy that plane ticket, but when you get there you need to be self sufficient, if you feel you will impact at all on the aid that would normally go to a person in need, stay at home.
