Mr. S and I were heading out this afternoon, and we heard many sirenes in the area. We then saw a fire truck from a different town on the road, and we knew something big must have happened. This is what we came upon.
An SUV heading south had gone over the yellow line for some apparent reason, and hit an oil truck. It appears the SUV started to go underneath the rear end of the oil truck, and it actually ripped the rear axel right off the truck. The truck hit a pole and came to a rest along the side of the road.
There were 2 children in the SUV who were transported before we got there. However, the jaws of life were needed to remove the driver from the SUV and she was still trapped in the vehicle when we arrived.
As you know, I have been doing some deep thinking re my photography lately, and trying to decide in which direction I want to take this blog, and which direction I want to focus my photography on.
Taking these images today was very uncomfortable for me. This is someones life..........this was as serious as it gets.......and here I was with a big old Nikon strapped around my neck, shooting pictures of somebody's pain. I did not like the feeling one single bit. It felt wrong. Why then did I take these images????? Honestly??? Because I needed a photo of the day for my blog.
Pretty bad, right?
Photography is a wonderful hobby which has brought me more joy than I can express. It's not something which should cause me to feel this way. It's not "me" to feed off of someone else's pain or to benefit from someone else's misfortune. I could have sent these images in to the local newspaper......I know they would have at least put them up on their website. But I won't be sending them. The only reason I am showing them on this blog post is because it's cathartic for me to work through these feelings. Also, perhaps by sharing my feelings on this type of "photojounalism", I could possibly help someone else who may be struggling with something similar.
I guess you could say this blog post was about soul searching.
Please say a prayer for the family in the suv, as well as the driver of the oil truck. May God protect them and help them to heal and recover.
Thank you.
As uncomfortable as you were, these are still pretty awesome pics. And unfortunately, it is life happening in the moment.
ReplyDeleteYou're right KB. It was a moment in time which I captured.....real life.
ReplyDeleteI still think I will stick with my birds and pretty scenes etc. Those are the types of things that make me happy and feel good.
Thanks soooo much for commenting. Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you next week!
Carol, if it helps, you didn't cause the accident, you are simply recording the aftermath.
ReplyDeleteOne thing to consider is that with these four pictures, you have told a pretty good story without being gratuitous. In addition the pictures could stand on their own with little narration and or explanation and be easily understood.
Whether you shoot anything like this again, you've learned something about yourself that will help you to refine your style.
I can totally understand your feelings about this and I ususally feel the same way BUT as humans, we do like to record life, good or bad. Think about all the news stories we read - don't you prefer the ones with pictures? These photos might actually be helpful to the oil truck driver or to the family in the SUV. You weren't in anyone's way and you didn't cross any lines as I see it.
ReplyDeleteI also hope all parties involved are okay.
P.S. The email notification worked! Thanks! :-)
Hi Dave,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your insight, and helping me to see things in a different way. This whole photography "thing" is a journey for me.....and it has allowed me to learn things about myself, as well as about the world around me. I am looking forward to continuing this journey....there is so much more to learn.
I appreciate your words. See you soon!
Hi Tracy,
ReplyDeleteGlad the email notification worked. Also, thanks for your insight. It helps me to sort through my own "stuff" and I appreciate what you wrote very much!!!!