Have you ever been faced with a really tough situation as a news
photographer? If your answer is yes, then you are in the majority
of those who have had to make those hard and fast decisions that
tend to stick with you for the rest of your life. They come in many
shapes and sizes, happen any time, and sometimes come out of nowhere.
One thing is for sure, the inevitable possibility of such a happening
means you have to be on your toes. Examples of this phenomenon include
irate suspects in court who don’t want to be photographed, families
of people in the spotlight, parents of children who have been killed
or severely injured, and of course funeral attendees who despise
TV cameras. The list goes on and on, and seldom is grief or overwhelming
sorrow not a factor.
A shooter has to tread very lightly in some situations and completely
‘bug out’ in others. Quick thinking is paramount and there is that
fine line that we always have to maintain. You want your story.
Your station does not want you to be killed or injured in the line
of duty. But at the same time they would almost always be the people
who put you in that situation to start with. Then there is that
‘separation factor’ that comes into play when a person of authority
in the newsroom makes calls that an experienced news person from
the field would never consider. These ‘calls’ range from a lack
of discretion in sending you into bad areas to demanding a live
shot in a lighting storm. It could be as simple as an assignment
desk editor who doesn’t know the geography, or it could be some
royal jerk news manager who could care less about you, they do exist.
Use discretion!
No one knows your personal limitations better than yourself and
if there is one important thing to remember it is this: You have
the right to ‘just say no’ like anybody else. Don’t ever take your
life or your health too lightly. We are often devoted to our stations
and our professions, but we can’t let that get out of our hand.
Cliche or not, you have to be able to see the leaves through the
trees. Assessment is the key here and a proper assessment in some
situations may mean that your brake lights never even show. That
is a rare occasion but all it takes to bring on disaster is one
critical judgment error.
I especially emphasize this point for female photographers. Anyone
who knows me well, knows that I have extremely high regard for women
who shoot and I believe many smoke the guys on numerous levels.
I associate women shooters with women surfers who have also had
to overcome many obstacles just to take a swipe at a fair shake.
In fact, I’ve never had a doubt that in my life any inequality toward
women is a bogus thing, especially any form of violence . It is
because of this high value and regard that I state with frankness
that men more easily overpower women than vice verse, so women have
to use a little more caution. Playing a safe game means you can
always come back for more.
There were two occasions when I was a Photojournalist with KVBC,
the NBC affiliate in Vegas, that I had to ‘hold short’ for police
on homicides. Of course the station is in a ghetto. In fact KVBC
is bordered on one side by a steady stream of homeless folks in
need of that perpetual cigarette or quarter, and the Las Vegas cemetery
where the ‘John Does’ are buried on the other. By the way, do you
like Crime Scene Investigators? I know most of the Vegas Homicide
detectives or at least I did up until a couple of years ago. They’re
personalities and character traits are just as interesting as any
TV show. And if you don’t know, ‘holding short’ means don’t drive
up to the address because the police haven’t arrived yet. I really
can’t even count the number of murders I covered in ‘Sin City’ and
I was only there for five years. But if you long for that kind of
action, it can be a good place to work. If you work for any station
in a crime-ridden neighborhood then this is something you may face.
As far as holding short... I would strongly recommend that as a
directive to always follow.
A number of stark memories are programmed into my personal database
and they don’t always stay filed away when I need them to. Of course
accompanying the scary situations I recall are the ultra-sad ones
where no anger was vented, but you recall trying not to cry openly
for somebody you haven’t ever even met. Sometimes it is the funeral
of a child, if you’re lucky there isn’t more than one. Fortunately
these aren’t our own tragedies and our personal pain and sorrow
is nothing next to everyone there but you. After a few years in
the business though, you learn that some of it does catch up. I
can flash through so many dead bodies, faces that really like to
hang around in detail. But then again, I wasn’t the poor guy who
just got shot in the face, or the kid whose hat was stuck to the
passenger side pillar in his parent’s minivan after he was struck
broadside at sixty miles per hour. Sorry to be so heavy but that
is life in TV news and it is often not for the faint-hearted.
I remember a personal turning point. I was shooting a ‘jaws of
life’ rescue from an overturned minivan at a busy Las Vegas intersection
on a hot summer afternoon in 1997. The man inside was bad off, it
was obvious. There were so many people there that I easily made
my way to the front of the crowd and had a clear shot of the firefighters
as they cut away trying to free the injured man. Then a hand was
placed over my lens, something I really have a problem with. But
the hand belonged to the brother of the guy in the mini-van. All
he said was "you can’t do this, that’s my brother." Suddenly all
news aggression in me fell to the side. I mean it really hit me,
and I swore then and there never to be one of the news shooters
that runs and guns without any regard for the matter at hand. I
want nothing to do with building a bad reputation for morbidity
and callous behavior in news photographers. In fact, that was the
last time I shot any traffic injury so closely. What after all is
to be gained by that approach?
And there is a flip-side to everything. I covered a really difficult
‘jaws of life’ rescue operation on an overturned 18-wheeler one
early morning on Interstate-15 in Nevada, and ended up being the
only source of light for the guys using the jaws inside the crunched
cab where the driver was pinned. I don’t know how much longer it
would have taken to free the driver if the rescue team members hadn’t
been able to see, but this was happening at 3:00 AM so it could
have been quite a while. I also can recall many funerals, especially
those of famous people, where the news media was well received,
and provided interviews and total courtesy throughout. Every situation
is different, so that leads back to good assessment skills, as well
as other basic skills like tact, courtesy and timing.
I should be clear that the last thing I want to do is warn people
off of assignments that have some level of danger. Just remember
that danger comes in many different degrees. There is a science
to some forms of danger, and other forms are more akin to Russian
roulette. I recently went out with the U.S. Coast Guard on a training
mission in 23-foot swells at Yaquina bay in Newport, Oregon. The
two Coast Guard vessels were 52 and 47 feet in length. I taped the
the 47-foot standing in her stern more than once. The swells were
huge!
But the Coast Guard does this every day, and before leaving the
dock they put you in a survival suit and they go over everything
you need to know to remain safe. You also have two straps attached
to your suit that have clips on the ends. You have to clip one to
one point on the boat before you can release the other one. Both
of the boats are self-righting, so even if the vessel capsized,
you would be attached and intact when it turned back over. In my
mind, the risk involved was minimal, because it is all part of a
calculated plan. But shooting in a dark alley without a cell phone
or a two-way radio can be taking your life in your own hands, you
roll the dice every time you go in alone and unprepared.
The point of all this is two-fold; be safe in your news gathering
so that you can go on to shoot another day, and remember that when
you exercise caution and discretion in your own behavior the chances
go up for all of us. People who are grieving go right off the charts
for me a good 25% of the time. As news people we all love tears
and usually they are appropriate to air, but there are times that
the sadness is too much to bear and we have to know when to say
when . It is pointless to infuriate a person who is out of their
mind with grief just because we ‘have the right to do it’ and are
standing on public property. When you have to, just let it go. I
will say to you right now that you are not a coward, you are not
weak, and you are smart if you take the advice.
When I worked for the Meredith Corporation we were explicitly directed
to avoid all hostile contact at all costs when gathering news in
the field, regardless of the story. I appreciated that good-hearted
policy. I may personally go a bit beyond it sometimes however and
my friends and colleagues may have a hay-day with this if I don’t
clarify one story that happened a few months ago: I had been assigned
to stake out the Polk County Probation Department in rural Dallas,
Oregon and get facial shots of a child sex-offender who had just
been released from a 17-year prison sentence. The guy was expected
to re-offend quickly and was living homeless in some bushes. He
slid by me going in but I caught up to him on the way out. Long
story-short, the guy ran and I gave chase. My 30+ pound Sony Betacam
and I caught the guy and ultimately, I chased him until he threw
up his hands and granted me a one-on-one interview. Many friends
told me I was crazy for chasing this guy like I did but it was not
something I found myself able to avoid. If you are a fit and good-sized
shooter then the amount of potential hassle you face is lessened.
And sometimes, being aggressive is the best way out, providing your
potential opponent backs down. If you take that route, just be able
to back it up if you have to but still try to avoid violence at
all costs. Betacams can be highly expensive to repair or replace..
Contributing Writer
Tim King
Tim King,
a News Photojournalist with KATU in Portland, Oregon has fifteen
years of practical experience in newsroom and field Electronic News
Gathering environments. He shoots news with NPPA discipline, has
numerous awards, and works very effectively as a one-man-band. He
knows how to conduct an interview and has a knack for getting that
'great sound bite' that really sizes up a moment. Tim has covered
all types of hard news and has researched, written and voiced many
investigative reports. Tim is a former Marine and his understanding
of military affairs, operations, history, etc. is a valuable asset
especially at this point in time. Tim's military stories include
tank training, parachuting with Green Berets, flying in the F-16
Fighting Falcon, and covering several military aircraft crashes.
He knows how to deal with problems and resolve them, sometimes with
only seconds to spare. In addition to news, Tim researched, wrote
and produced the documentary "Fallen Fortress at Cape Lookout" which
aired twice on Oregon Public Broadcasting in 1993. Tim traveled
to France's former Western Front in November, 2000 while conducting
research on a current project: the biographical documentary on WWI
flying Ace and Medal of Honor winner, aviator Frank Luke JR, "the
Arizona Balloon Buster". Tim also Co-Produced, wrote, photographed
and hosted the TV Show "Hot Wheels in Las Vegas," a half-hour weekly
show featuring Las Vegas Hot Rods and auto-related events that ran
in two 13 week series (2000 and 2001).
