Raindrops Keep Falling on my Lens

Let's be honest - sometimes it seems like Mother Nature hates photographers. You'll plan your shooting day, wake up when some people are just getting to bed, and chug your cappuccino only to step outside and realize that your day of crystal clear skies and immaculate lighting has been fogged by...well, fog. And rain, and lightning, and anything else that bitch can throw at you. (Is it okay to say 'bitch' in a blog?)

Anyway, I say think positive! I know shooting on a cloudy day is typically considered snapshot-suicide, but some of the best photographs have been taken under the worst conditions. True art breaks barriers and questions convention, so don't be afraid to get wet - the water's just fine!

On the infamous question of morality in photography...

Last semester I read a book by Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva called "The Bang Bang Club." It was an autobiography about a group of four photojournalists in South Africa and their documentations of a very violent time in the country. The book focused particularly on the issue of morality that most photojournalists face and how this affected them. When it comes to snapping a photo, where is the line between duty and morality? It's the duty of the photojournalist not to influence the shot because that's false documentation. However, is it moral to stand over the body of someone who is bleeding and on the verge of death while the photographer takes pictures of the scene? It's a tough call that ultimately led to the suicide of Kevin Carter for his Pulitzer Prize winning photograph of a small child being stalked by a vulture.

I think this is an issue that should be handled on a case-by-case basis. In Carter's case, I don't think he did anything wrong. He was a kind-hearted person who was only doing his job and probably just got caught up in the intensity of the shot he just took. Though he was ridiculed to the point of suicide, he didn't deserve it. His picture showed the world what was going on in Africa and why people needed to take action. It's similar to the Napalm picture. Though these children were shown in a desperate and exposed light, they became the faces of peace in a world that really needed to be shown the truth. Photojournalism is, in my opinion, one of the most respectable and brave careers in existence. It involves putting your reputation and public image on the line for the sake of truth, wisdom and the eradication of ignorance. So snap on, photojournalists!

The Ugly World

Who ever said the world was beautiful?

Like a sick child, the world was once magnificent with perfection and untainted innocence. Never straying from its designated path, it stood powerful and sacred. No blemish; no flaw; no fault to infect its unspoiled tresses. Now it bends, corrupt with the grime and grunge of errors past. The once unadulterated path has now twisted into an imperfect route, veering increasingly off course. Like that same sick child, the world has been robbed of its faultlessness by a disease that eats at its core.

Still, like that poor, sick child, the world is not yet a ghost. Fighting with the will to survive - despite every naysayer - the world, like that child, will continue to live. Only through errors past can the soul truly learn to feel alive. Through vice comes wisdom; through morality comes humanity; through struggle comes passion; and through passion comes true beauty. And, through my lens, the world is beautiful.