Inhuman action!
PhotographyToday while I was walking through the center of Skopje, a small boy grabbed my leg and started asking for money. My first reaction was to take the camera and shoot surprised by the sight I was seeing (although an inhuman action here is the shot) … I felt sorry for the kid so I gave him a few bucks and suddenly the agonizing expression on his face disappeared, he started to smile and asked if he can take a picture of me with my camera… No way in the world that would happen!
Canon 40D + 17-40mm f/4 L
This “inhuman action” got me thinking, as a (hobby) photographer I can take amazing pictures of people in pain, they are always dramatic, emotional. But what right do I have to document their pain and suffering in the name of art, if it can be called that. Is giving money to this boy a way to justify my taking advantage of his situation. Should I take a picture the next time I see someone crying or should I walk away. How would I feel if we switched places and I was not the man with the big camera? The moral dilemma is obvious.
Tags: Canon 40D, EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM
Friday, May 23rd, 2008 at 1:06 am and is filed under Photography. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Think of it as RECORDING THE TRUTH. You are showing the world what your eyes saw. You could have remebered it and painted later, or wrote a poem…anyhow this is the truth..the way you saw it. And it is brath taking.