You're on a shooting trip having a drink with a mate in a foreign town when a bomb explodes.
The blast sends you both flying but thankfully you're both alive. That's not to be said of the people around you.
There are wounded everywhere and the stench is incredible. Do you grab your camera and start to shoot like mad, aware of the importance of the event, or do you start to offer help to the wounded?
I'm sure I would be torn, very torn between the need to help and the importance of documenting and saving people's lives. It would have to be a snap decision from me, one way or another, a swift assessment of my capabilities and where I would be most useful.
I just want to ponder, for a moment, on the fact that we often assume that journalism is free and open, and that news just filters freely across all channels, without delay, without censorship, when in fact repression is rife, more often so than the public realize, not only in war torn countries but maybe even in other situation.
Part of me wants to dedicate part of my life to photography for social causes. For a long time, I have been toying with whether I would or could become a war photographer. I am sorely tempted to run away sometimes, from photographing people in a frivolous and ethereal fashion and doing something that is of greater purpose. It is something that I am dedicated to in spirit. I am not afraid of challenges and am ready to take risks, however I am worried that it may be a bit late to take this on at this point in my life.
I keep an open mind when viewing images, from whatever source or style. I think about the social connotations of where and when or how the images were photographed. There is a lot of meaning in the background for me.
I follow the work of Zoriah Miller, one of the best photojournalists around. His work is full of depth and intensity. I hope to be able, one day, to incorporate elements of journalism a bit better in my editorial work, however at this point in time, I have little around me to work with. \Maybe life will present me with opportunities soon....
I have just watched 'the killing fields' a 1984 film about the story of Dith Pran. It's just rekindled a lot of energy in me again....
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