Howard Moo Young, Contributor
Deep in thought. - Howard Moo Young Photo
EVERY PHOTOGRAPHER knows that a good sense of timing is essential in capturing the image that will create impact. However, timing also applies as much to knowing when not to push the shutter release as when to push it.
Taking a photograph is always a potentially invasive act, no matter how sensitive the photographer, or how benign the motive. By simply observing something, be it an animal or human being, we are in some measure disturbing it even with the camera. A ray of sunlight beaming through a bedroom window directly upon a sleeping face immediately disturbs that individual. This is almost the same observation I get, when a person who is very deep in thought, unaware of everything that's happening around them, suddenly realises that the lens of a camera is pointed directly at him/her. This intrusion might be more physiological than physical, but the effect is more powerful.
The question has always been raised as to whether a photographer has the right to take pictures of someone who doesn't want to be photographed. Often tourists don't seem to care about the feelings of the native people they encounter abroad, and they take pictures regardless of the subject's protests. This camera behaviour reduces human beings to mere camera fodder. However, requesting permission to take a picture often gains co-operation from a subject, even if you have to make sign language. I believe that respect for human dignity should take precedence over the desire to make a photo.
For the professional photojournalist, the decision to shoot or to hold back sometimes can be an agonising one. On one hand is the journalistic responsibility to record the news, yet there may also be a compassionate concern for the victims of a newsworthy catastrophic event, as was seen when victims jumped from the Twin Towers on 9/11 in New York.
ABUSE OF POWER
As Eugene Smith (one of the world's greatest photojournalists) once said, "I accept the reporting of tragedy, I admire truly great news photography ... but I wish the press would not abuse its power or needlessly bruise the already bruised." He was referring to survivors of the Andrea Doria and how they had been ill-treated by photojournalists.
On a less controversial level, there are times when it is best not to shoot simply because the act of photographing may shatter a special mood. I am thinking of those rare moments of enchantment that we are lucky enough to experience from time to time. Whether these wonderful, fragile moments occur while sharing an experience with a loved one, emerging triumphant from a struggle or stiff competition, or watching the raindrops beat against the windowpane, they are moments to be lived deeply. But, they can be easily destroyed by self-conscious acts. To pick up a camera and start shooting can be as disruptive as throwing a rock into a pond's still water. It's a pity to grab a photograph at the expense of losing the essence of what first moved us.
Finally, and the most fundamental of all, a photographer should never shoot without a good reason, and this is often ignored. If you put a loaded camera in just about any photographer's hands and place him or her in a situation that lends itself to picture taking, you can expect that person to start shooting as a kind of conditioned reflex. I've often felt compelled to shoot especially while travelling abroad or in the country. It's just that many times I can't stop or there's nowhere to park safely. I think to myself, I have come so far and I really ought to take some pictures, there's sometimes a compulsion of guilt. But, what if nothing moves me visually? I'd rather not shoot than produce stilted pictures that will never be looked at twice.
Deciding whether to shoot is not necessarily a conscientiously slow process. Often it can be swiftly intuitive. We must learn to sense our visual boredom and take that as a sign that we may be better off putting the camera aside. And we must trust that magical moment that tells us it's time to release the shutter.
Howard Moo Young is an Advertising / Graphic Design / Photography Consultant with over 40 years experience. Email: mooimages@yahoo.com
