When I think about my photography, I get pretty selfish. I truly want each picture I take to be really good. I admit though, as I grow older, the photograph I capture is less important to me than the life it depicts.
This might sound obvious, but when we are young and in the business of visual storytelling we see images that we think could advance our career. So we grapple with what is appropriate to photograph versus what needs to be seen and what do we need to be present for. One of my great mentors, Jim Stefanucci, who worked over 20 years at The Meadville Tribune, used to say a picture isn't worth a life.
He would tell me this as I was heading out in a snowstorm. In other words, don't risk getting in an accident or worse just to get a photo. The paper will go out if I risk my life and die trying and it will go out even if I don't get a photo.
Jim was (is) wise.
This is a lesson he taught because one of his young photographers didn't return from an assignment once. He died in a car crash heading back to the paper. That stuff stays with you.
No picture is worth a life.
Oddly that lesson came into my head strongly today as I stopped along 322 on my way back to Meadville because I saw two bald eagles in a freshly plowed field. In my experience, because I'm not a nature photographer, bald eagles don't like getting their picture taken. Most of the time when I see one fairly close, they leave before I can get my camera pointed at them.
These seemed weary of me, but didn't just leave even as I approached in my acid green shirt I wore today because it was my dad's and somehow I was missing him (that is another story for another time.)
This might sound obvious, but when we are young and in the business of visual storytelling we see images that we think could advance our career. So we grapple with what is appropriate to photograph versus what needs to be seen and what do we need to be present for. One of my great mentors, Jim Stefanucci, who worked over 20 years at The Meadville Tribune, used to say a picture isn't worth a life.
He would tell me this as I was heading out in a snowstorm. In other words, don't risk getting in an accident or worse just to get a photo. The paper will go out if I risk my life and die trying and it will go out even if I don't get a photo.
Jim was (is) wise.
This is a lesson he taught because one of his young photographers didn't return from an assignment once. He died in a car crash heading back to the paper. That stuff stays with you.
No picture is worth a life.
Oddly that lesson came into my head strongly today as I stopped along 322 on my way back to Meadville because I saw two bald eagles in a freshly plowed field. In my experience, because I'm not a nature photographer, bald eagles don't like getting their picture taken. Most of the time when I see one fairly close, they leave before I can get my camera pointed at them.
These seemed weary of me, but didn't just leave even as I approached in my acid green shirt I wore today because it was my dad's and somehow I was missing him (that is another story for another time.)
Anyway, because they didn't leave, at some point in my self-centered voyeurism, I thought.... they are hungry ... and they have this meal.
No picture is worth a life.
I'm not sure what it was they were eating, but because it was a freshly plowed field, I'm guessing it was a groundhog or some other poor sort who couldn't escape the blades of science that slashed their way through what they thought was home. (I wonder if anyone got the Neil Young reference I tossed in there?)
I surmised the field might be littered with dead things for these birds to eat. I did not want to scare them off before they got their fill.
Nature.
I truly wanted a better photo. I have an astoundingly good nature photographer friend who lives in Montana, who gets wonderful eagle photos from his back porch. I wanted to get one to share with him and show I can do it too! But Jim's words came into my head and I thought these birds are hungry and they need to eat. This wasn't near water, this was easy food and they really needed to eat.
No picture is worth a life.
The first bald eagle I ever saw swooped down onto the bypass in Meadville to pick at road kill. That was nearly 30 years ago now. I admit being disappointed seeing our nation's symbol picking at the remains of a possum that was run over by a car. The bird didn't even hunt it down like a warrior, I thought.
I told that story to a naturalist once who told me that all of the wild prefers an easy meal over a hard meal, our national bird is no different.
I enjoyed this moment today and do wish I had a better photo to share - these are alright, but if I was a jerk they could've been better. Thanks Jim for teaching me things you probably thought I was ignoring. Life is important. No picture is worth a life.
No picture is worth a life.
I'm not sure what it was they were eating, but because it was a freshly plowed field, I'm guessing it was a groundhog or some other poor sort who couldn't escape the blades of science that slashed their way through what they thought was home. (I wonder if anyone got the Neil Young reference I tossed in there?)
I surmised the field might be littered with dead things for these birds to eat. I did not want to scare them off before they got their fill.
Nature.
I truly wanted a better photo. I have an astoundingly good nature photographer friend who lives in Montana, who gets wonderful eagle photos from his back porch. I wanted to get one to share with him and show I can do it too! But Jim's words came into my head and I thought these birds are hungry and they need to eat. This wasn't near water, this was easy food and they really needed to eat.
No picture is worth a life.
The first bald eagle I ever saw swooped down onto the bypass in Meadville to pick at road kill. That was nearly 30 years ago now. I admit being disappointed seeing our nation's symbol picking at the remains of a possum that was run over by a car. The bird didn't even hunt it down like a warrior, I thought.
I told that story to a naturalist once who told me that all of the wild prefers an easy meal over a hard meal, our national bird is no different.
I enjoyed this moment today and do wish I had a better photo to share - these are alright, but if I was a jerk they could've been better. Thanks Jim for teaching me things you probably thought I was ignoring. Life is important. No picture is worth a life.
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