Our Duty as Photographers, originally uploaded by Christopher [cbpix.com].

The great war photographer Robert Capa once said “It’s not always easy to stand aside and be unable to do anything except record the sufferings around one.”. If you’ve ever been in an emotional scene taking photographs, you understand the truth of Capa’s words. I’m not a photojournalist, but I’ve taken my share of photographs in situations where people are injured, a few crime scenes, and some personal incidents where the last thing on most people’s minds is photographing anything. But we photograph these situations, no matter how uncomfortable, because we must. Not just because it is in our blood and we are driven by a force within us; we also must because we are compelled by our duty as photographers.

Dr. Martin Luther King once chided Flip Shulke of Life Magazine, who quit photographing an event long enough to stop some people from beating several black children. “The world doesn’t know this happened, because you didn’t photograph it,” King said. “I’m not being cold-blooded about it, but it is so much more important for you to take a picture of us getting beaten up than for you to be another person joining the fray.”

It doesn’t matter if you’re a photojournalist, or a person with a camera who just wants to take snapshots of the family; these words ring true for us all. If you want a prime example, take a look at “A Photographer’s Life: 1990-2005″ by Annie Leibovitz. While Leibovitz is well known for her celebrity magazine work, she has also taken a vast amount of photographs of her family and personal life. From birth to death, and everything in between. It’s perhaps one of the most inspirational photography books I have ever seen. The most important lesson is to never lose sight of how valuable your photographs are. Whether you are a photojournalist covering a conflict, or simply snapping photos of your family, remember, they are all important. They are all an irreplaceable record of history.

Don’t ever let yourself regret not taking a photograph.

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LTC Arthur T. Ballard, Jr. USAF, originally uploaded by Christopher [cbpix.com].

This is perhaps the most important photograph I have ever made. When my father was serving in the Vietnam War in 1967, my mother obtained a POW bracelet which bore the name of Arthur Ballard. Earlier this year, mom and I found the bracelet in a box. Thanks to Google, I was able to find the now-retired Colonel Ballard and let him know we had the bracelet and wished to return it to him.

While Googling his name, I found a website that sells POW returnee bracelets that had a listing for Colonel Ballard. I got the returnee bracelet and then had the idea for this photo.

Now, some 43 years later, Colonel Ballard has had his bracelet returned to him (one of many returned to him throughout the years), and my mom has his returnee bracelet in its place.

It’s been an emotional experience for all of us. Corresponding with Col. Ballard has been an honor; he’s an American hero and a very dear man. He was held captive for over six years of his life in North Vietnam.

You can read his military bio at the POW network: www.pownetwork.org/bios/b/b077.htm

Always Remember,

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If you can afford it, please consider making a contribution to one or more of the following charities (or your own favorite charity) during this holiday season.  I will be doing it today.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; helping kids fight cancer

The Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley

Share Our Strength – No Kid Hungry

The Shriner’s Hospitals for Children

You cannot do a kindness too soon
because you never know how soon it will be too late.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thank you,

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So this morning I was looking into upgrading a Verizon phone and found these new phones listed.  Needless to say I was a little surprised at a $100,000 price tag.  Yes, one hundred thousand.  My source at Verizon said that they are aware of the mistake and are correcting it now, but I wonder what would happen if someone tried to order it?!

You can click on the screenshot above to view it larger and see the deets.  I didn’t modify the screenshot at all other than add the circles around the price when I snapped it.  By the way, I use PicPick for screenshots; it is free and awesome.  Check it out. 

Have a great Monday,

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American photographers, note the pronunciation of Nikon…

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Ouch!  I never thought an underwater housing was required camera gear for a wedding photographer.  Poor guy, everyone has a bad day…

Enjoy this while you can, other versions of this video have been yanked for copyright violation.  This video has over 16k views on youtube so far, I’m not sure how many views the original had.  That’s a lot of free social media advertising to give up for a copyright claim.

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Wow, that’s high!

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“Always Remember…” Memorial Day 2010, originally uploaded by Christopher [cbpix.com].

This is at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman, Ohio. More information is available at their website.

Always Remember,

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