Shoot or Help? A Moral Dilemma.

I recently read, and posted on Facebook, a joke that goes something like this - "If you come across a drowning man and have time to either take a picture or save him - what shutter speed do you use?" I was thinking about that this morning and decided to update and re-publish this post from March 2017, originally published on a now-defunct blogging community called Niume.

If you've been following me for any length of time you will know that photography is more than just a hobby. For as long as I can remember I have had an interest in the art but I think I can say that age 12 was when it became “important” to me. The thought of a career in photography was omnipresent but I was encouraged to pursue science, mathematics and then computers. Photography was a great hobby but you have to make a living….

I chose a career and started making a living but my desire to become a photographer continued to grow. I knew I wanted to shoot but how was I going to make a living? I gave a lot of consideration to photojournalism. Growing up I saw news images ranging from The Beatles landing in New York City to the horrors of Vietnam. There were images of the joys of victory, the unintended victims of war and the horrors of political assassinations. Most of the photographers were anonymous but their images helped shape the world. Later I would see movies like “The Killing Fields” and “Somebody Has To Shoot The Picture” which re-ignited my fascination. There are a number of reasons why I didn’t pursue a photojournalism career, not the least of which can be found in the title of this post. As a photographer, this is something I think about a lot. Social media, and televised news, is filled with videos of people in distress and my first thought is, "Why are you not helping?" Watch any news program and you will see someone who has tragically lost a loved one, they are clearly anguished and yet, someone is recording or photographing them. It is then that I wonder why they can’t just have a private moment; do we really need to memorialize this with a photograph?

In early 2017, President Trump addressed Congress; he spoke of US Navy Seal Ryan Owens who had recently been killed during a raid. His widow was there. When the President introduced her, the chamber erupted in applause. During the ovation, the camera was trained on her, her grief still fresh. It felt like an intrusion and, after a short time, it made me uncomfortable. I have had similar situations arise when covering events; participants overcome by emotion turning to others for comfort. I always consider taking the shot but rarely do.

I don’t think I can “get the shot” above all else. I’m quite good at covering the “fun stuff” but feel uncomfortable exploiting someone’s grief. When I see someone in need of assistance my impulse is to help, not shoot. I have witnessed accidents, sometimes close enough to have narrowly escaped being involved, but I don’t have a single photograph, even though the camera has been in the car. I could have quite a collection and made money selling the images to local news outlets but the camera always stayed in the car. I look back at those times, mentally taking the photographs and think of the opportunities lost. Then I think about whether I made the right decision; that is one of the easiest questions I have ever had to answer – Yes, of course I did! It is the right decision for me, that isn’t to disparage those who would make a different decision. After all, somebody does have to shoot the picture. Right?

So, what do you think? Do you shoot or help?

Image: press-1017762_1920 - https://pixabay.com/en/press-journalist-photographer-news-1017762/

A Brief Hike Along the Appalachian Trail

Delaware Water Gap

I have driven thru "The Gap" countless times during my life and twice attempted to summit, and camp on, Mt. Tammany on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River. I say attempted because I have not, yet, succeeded. My first try was in 1985 when my friend, Bill, and I decided to take a weekend camping trip - we started up the Red Dot trail but Bill became ill and we had to turn back. A few years later I set out on a solo camping trip - made it a bit further along the trail but hurt my knee and had to wait for someone to assist me back to my car. 2018 was going to be the year I reached the summit but each planned trip got derailed for one reason or another. Last week I finally got to do some hiking on Mt. Tammany - only about 2 miles in total but I made the best of it. I had set out to do some hiking and shooting at the Black River Wildlife Management Area, specifically behind the Old Grist Mill in Chester, but when I got to Chester I decided to just keep driving up Rt 206 to Rt 80 and spend time at the Gap. It was a great decision, for more than one reason.

Dunnfield Creek Trail

As I mentioned, I had not planned to hike on Mt. Tammany (I also had the beginnings of a sinus headache/congestion) so I decided not to attempt another hike up the Red Dot trail. It was about 10:30 AM, I didn't have any food with me and only 24 ounces of water - certainly not enough supplies for an extended hike here. I parked in the Dunnfield Creek Trail parking lot, grabbed my gear and headed out onto the trail. At the parking lot there is a sign board with maps, notices, etc...; the notice that jumped out at me was about bears and what to do if you encounter one. I know there are bears in the area and there have been fatal attacks along the trail but it was still a little unnerving at first. I am always quite attentive on the trail - never listen to music and always have my head on a swivel but today I was going to be twice as attentive. I didn't get a hundred yards before the trail turned into a small stream - November was a very wet month - and I had to walk around water many times along the way. After hiking about a half mile I came to a fork in the trail, to the left you get on the White Blaze which is the Appalachian Trail and leads up or the Blue Dot which takes you down by the Dunnfield Creek. Both, ultimately take you up to the summit of Mt. Tammany and Sunfish Pond where they connect to the Red Dot Trail. I wanted to keep my feet reasonably dry, so I went to the left and up the AT. When I had hiked about a quarter mile up the trail I stopped in a small clearing to have a drink. I looked to the east and spotted a wooden footbridge spanning the creek, on the bridge was a photographer setting up a shot of the water flowing over the rocks and the small waterfalls. I decided to backtrack, brave the water and muddy Blue Dot trail and check out the area myself. That was my second good decision of the day!

The trail was wet but not quite as bad as I had thought it would be and I got to the bridge relatively easily. This was exactly what I was looking for - fast moving water, rocks and trees. The fact that the bridge was low to the water allowed me to get shots that made it look like I was in the middle of the raging water. My first images were made from the middle of the bridge with the tripod down low - a few wide-angle shots and then a five shot panorama. After taking in the overall scene I decided to get a bit tighter on some of the individual waterfalls and other interesting features. I had just finished on the bridge when I saw a hiker coming up the trail - this was the first person I had encountered. We exchanged pleasantries when he passed and we both continued with our missions; his to get to the summit and mine to capture the beauty of the surrounding area.

There are almost too many compositions in this small area and I could have spent an hour or more moving from one spot to the next. I felt like a kid in a candy store; set up a shot only to find another that was equally, or more, appealing. There is nothing quite like fast moving water to capture my attention. The raw power of the water, the sound it makes running over and around the rocks, the smell; what is there not to love? When I come across these scenes there is no question in my mind about how to capture them - small aperture and slow shutter speed. In the past I would try to get the shutter to somewhere between 15 and 30 seconds thru small apertures and neutral density filters. This gives a great, smooth, milky quality to the whitewater but I didn't want to go that far with these images and so I skipped the filters (other than a polarizer to help reduce the glare) and used apertures between f/8 and f/25. I think the longest the shutter was open was around 3 seconds and I think that was another good decision (third one so far! I was on a roll!) as it was enough to blur the water but I still got a sense of movement in the water.

I had to force myself to pick up my gear and start back down the trail towards the parking lot. I had gone thru more than half of my water and was beginning to get hungry. Notice that I "picked up" and not "packed up" my gear - I learned a long time ago not to put the camera away until I got back to the car because you never know what can happen. I didn't get too far down the trail when I came across a small rocky outcrop overlooking the creek. It was wet and had some leaves covering it but it didn't appear to be too dangerous so I decided to walk out and see what compositions might be waiting for me. The shot at the beginning of this post is the result and definitely worth the effort. This was the last time I had a good opportunity to shoot the creek until I got back to the parking lot - that's not to say there aren't spectacular views but just too dangerous to get down to the water or there were things obstructing the view. I spent about 10 minutes wandering along the bank, setting up a few shots and then getting in the car to go get lunch.

I use MapMyHike when I am out hiking and it recorded a 1.95 mile trek with a change in elevation of 315 feet and I spent just over 90 minutes along the trail. This may be the first time I spent any time exploring the area but I guarantee it will certainly not be the last. I am looking to get a better backpack so I can carry my gear, while having enough room for more water and food. A good pair of trekking poles would be quite helpful, too. I will reach the summit of Mt. Tammany and visit Sunfish Pond some day but it will have to wait until 2019. I am already looking forward to my next hike in the area, I would love to live closer so that I could go more often but it is more than 90 miles away and it just isn't practical - especially when it can get very crowded on the weekends.

If you are interested in seeing more of my images from this hike, and those in the future, follow me on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/valencia32photo/), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/joevalenciaphotography/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/WanderPhotog.)

If you are looking for a great place to hike or inspiration for your landscape photography, check out the Delaware Water Gap and take a hike along Dunnfield Creek Trail. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Oh yea, at the start of this post I said that driving to the Gap was a great decision for more than one reason. As I stated, I had planned to hike in Chester and decided to do so after I had lunch. I drove to the grist mill, grabbed my gear and headed for the trail. It was impassable! The creek that ran along the trail had risen considerably and the entire area was a raging river - there was absolutely no sign of the trail anywhere. I looked around for a couple minutes thinking I might be able to get a shot or two but there was nothing. I got back in the car and headed for home.

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All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

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