Quote:
Originally Posted by fish
I'm an old school photographer. It was an unwritten rule that if you knew you had just witnessed a fatality, you quit taking pictures. If by chance you got pictures, they were trash that no one would ever see.
I ended up working in the newspaper business and as a sports guy it ticked me off if the news guys published a graphic car crash with a fatality (and I told them more than once).
I realize things are different nowadays, as everyone has a camera and you can find anything on the internet. But please, if any of you IOW faithful are at a racetrack and the worst happens, put the camera away. And please, do not do like some fool in New Jersey did and post it on twitter.
Have things changed so much that we can't show some respect?
Jim Fisher
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I agree 100% with your position of NOT publishing a picture (or pictures) of a fatal accident.
I do NOT however agree that those pictures should be trashed. A death is in vain if change does not result. Pictures provide accurate documentation of an event. Adrenaline does funny things to eye witnesses. It makes them see things that didn't happen and miss things that do. Pictures are far more accurate. Pictures during or at the conclusion of an accident can provide invaluable information to authorities and engineers that can result in changes to make safety improvements. I would encourage all photographers (professional or amateur) to offer your photos of a fatal racing accident to the authorities, safety organizations, (Impact, Simpson, etc) and tracks in the effort to make changes to improve the safety of our sport.