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A couple of thoughts, excuse the thread. Firstly the ‘paps’ thing, I’ve noticed an assumption by the public that all photographers are ‘paparazzi’ especially during recent discussions over allowing access to our hospitals for photography. They’re not.
Paps are a particular kind of photographer and largely they make a living by taking photographs of famous people - going in and out of restaurants, holidaying on ski slopes, sashaying up and down Sloane Street shopping in designer stores.
Mags and online media buy the images which millions of people then pore over. Many as a guilty pleasure (you know who you are). This is what the paps do.
Paparazzi photographers would be the first to admit that it’s not really their bag to cover major news stories. Similarly a news photographer wouldn’t really be found outside a swanky restaurant at midnight on a Saturday waiting for a famous face to depart (pre Covid obviously).
The role of a news photographer is different, they bear witness and capture the events that shape our world - disasters, conflict, terrorist attack, revolutions. Their pictures enable us to see exactly what’s going on in the world, they have access to places we don’t.
It’s a bloody tricky job. Sometimes, when others are running from danger they run into it. The awful scenes of terrorist attacks on London and Westminster Bridges, you can recall those scenes because you saw the terrible images in the media, TV and print. They record history.
Photography gives us a visual truth. One image can refute the words of thousands of naysayers. The images aren’t always comfy or easy to look at but they allow us to better understand the situation, something we desperately need at the moment with Covid.
I’ve heard the arguments around patient sensitivity and that medical staff have to work without dragging photographers around with them. All very valid points but part of a photographers role is to remain invisible. That’s how they do what they do.
They’re also human beings and this, coupled with their expertise and knowledge, allows them to cover a story with respect and dignity not only for those whose lives hang precariously in the balance but also for the brilliant medical staff trying to do their jobs.
With hospitals declaring major incidents and with ICU wards struggling to keep up with the overwhelming new cases they need the British public to comply with rules but it’s tricky when we don’t have a visual touchstone. When we can’t actually see what the sacrifice is for.
The powers that be need to engage with photographers and grant some access - give us a better understanding of why our schools are remaining closed or why we can’t all go down the pub. Photography is the perfect medium for communicating complex situations to the public.
So @NHSEngland @MattHancock @DHSCgovuk use photography as a public service. Allow photographers to do their job, to be our eyes, to record history (that’s a whole other thread). Let a picture be a thousand words, show the public what is going on in our hospitals. Stay safe all.
