I met up with a couple of photographers a couple of weeks ago and among many other things one topic that came up was “what wouldn’t you shoot?’

It’s a complex question and each of us had a different answer. Full-time (and most part-time) photographers do what we do for the love of what an image can convey and the emotion one photograph can stir. There were three different answers because each of us has ethics that guide us in our daily lives and have been developed during our entire lives to this point. Also, one of us could see the journalistic merit in photographing something that another person finds to be too much. Told you it was complex.

An example. I didn’t photograph anything Superstorm Sandy-related for two reasons:

1) I knew that it would probably be the most recorded natural disaster in US history not only because  it was happening in NYC but the percentage of people with some type of recording devices is among the highest in the world

2) I didn’t want to photograph devastation given how many people were suffering

That was my decision as  photographer and artist. On the other hand, I have been asked to photograph several funerals  and have managed to do this without a problem.  Again, complex.

I woke up one morning last week and one of the first things that came to mind was the horrible event that happened in the subway and how the matter was treated by the New York Post.

I do not know the photographer that took the image. I do not know what his thought process was while this tragedy was happening. Its easy to make a call after the fact when something like this happens. For all I know he could be immensely traumatised by the incident and I do feel for him in this regard.

However, I can’t help to find issue with the way this whole thing went down. Many people have made comparisons to Kevin Carter’s shot of the starving Sudanese child and Nick Ut’s shot ‘Nepalm Girl’. . To me, these show have journalistic integrity as they had the power to make millions aware of things that were happening and stimulated awareness and in some cases aid.

This however, is not one of those photographs.

Further, and even more concerning was the decision to not only send the shot in, but the decision of the paper to publish it. I know there is a lot more to this as, again, it is easy to make a call on something after it has happened. But something just ain’t right here.

Complex.

Peace,

Leon