As a USAF combat photographer, my tour in Vietnam was to capture and document events that were taking and had taken place. I’ve seen things I can’t unsee, yet I did my job and continued. After my return, I was back home, upon hearing a loud explosion I looked over the patio fence, I observed a vehicle on fire. I grabbed my camera from the shelf and ran towards the fire. I immediately started documenting the scene, after getting closer to the other side of the vehicle, I noted a body on the ground and other behind the driver’s wheel. It was then that I felt something inside telling me what was I doing? I was shooting exposures of a tragic rear ended vehicle accident, with two fatalities. At the moment, I wasn’t experiencing any emotions, later after my adrenaline dump, I felt callous in my actions. Maybe, instead of grabbing my camera I could’ve run out there to assist in any way I could instead of photographing the accident. I did some deep soul searching and decided to become a firefighter, 30 years later as a retired firefighter I feel I made the right choice. I still have a camera nearby but choose to capture things of an abstract nature.
As a USAF combat photographer, my tour in Vietnam was to capture and document events that were taking and had taken place. I’ve seen things I can’t unsee, yet I did my job and continued. After my return, I was back home, upon hearing a loud explosion I looked over the patio fence, I observed a vehicle on fire. I grabbed my camera from the shelf and ran towards the fire. I immediately started documenting the scene, after getting closer to the other side of the vehicle, I noted a body on the ground and other behind the driver’s wheel. It was then that I felt something inside telling me what was I doing? I was shooting exposures of a tragic rear ended vehicle accident, with two fatalities. At the moment, I wasn’t experiencing any emotions, later after my adrenaline dump, I felt callous in my actions. Maybe, instead of grabbing my camera I could’ve run out there to assist in any way I could instead of photographing the accident. I did some deep soul searching and decided to become a firefighter, 30 years later as a retired firefighter I feel I made the right choice. I still have a camera nearby but choose to capture things of an abstract nature.
A harrowing experience. I was never in the PJ arena. For the reasons you mentioned.