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A Life and a Story End.
Ron Erdrich, Photographer
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Abilene | TX | USA | Posted: 5:30 AM on 03.20.05 |
->> All,
I've just finished the hardest story I've ever worked on. It began in late 2000 and went on for a year. The story then was about a woman named Maryanne Martin who, stricken with ovarian cancer, was raising money for an unusual medical procedure at the M.D. Anderson cancer center in Houston.
Her husband's insurance wouldn't cover the $150,000 that it was going to cost, so they held a series of fundraisers. I documented that process and her eventual treatment and recovery. I thought the story was over and we became great friends over the next few years. I even photographed Maryanne and her youngest son Jonathan for America 24/7.
But the treatment she went through so much trouble to receive was never meant as a cure, only an extension on life. The idea was that she would get a few more extra years out of this treatment and during that time it was hoped that science would come up with some other kind of procedure that would further prolong her life.
But it didn't happen. In late December the doctors told her she didn't have very long to live, only about three months, and they told her that instead of a cure they needed to concentrate on making the remainder of her life as comfortable as possible.
It was at this point, around New Years', that they asked me if I could document Maryanne's last few weeks in this world. They said I could use the pictures for whatever I wanted but that they would like to have some record of her time here beyond the family snapshots they already owned.
I agreed because these people were my friends and not because it would make any kind of story. At first I wasn't even sure I wanted it to be a story in my paper, it felt very personal to me.
But I thought about it more and realized that this was a story that needed to be told. And not just for Maryanne and her family, but for our readers as well. Especially since we had brought the story to them once before in the past.
Maryanne died a week ago Saturday and I spent as much time as I could with her and her family over the last three months.
It was very hard and I paid for it with a lot of sleepless nights and a few tears as well. It's hard to document your close friend dying and it's harder still to photograph her loved ones suffering with her and me only able to help by clicking a shutter.
Anyways, here is the link to my paper.
You may have to register, but don't worry, it's free. There's a link to the slide show about halfway down and also another link to an awesome video produced by Nellie Doneva, one of our photographers and also a friend of Maryanne's.
--Ron-- |
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Mike Carlson, Photographer
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Bayonet Point | FL | USA | Posted: 7:12 AM on 03.20.05 |
->> The link to the story and page with Ron's slideshow can be found here (I didn't need to register):
http://www.reporter-news.com/abil/nw_obituaries/article/0,1874,ABIL_7967_36...
Ron,
You images are stunning in their intimacy. The access the family allowed and the respect with which you treated them is remarkable. Thank you for sharing, and I encourage others visit the story. |
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Damon Moritz, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Woodbridge | Va. | USA | Posted: 8:05 AM on 03.20.05 |
->> One word: Powerfull.
It is obvious that your images are powerfull, but so are the captions. Take time to read each caption which was carefully written.
Great job Ron. I only wish the story had a different ending.
Damon Moritz |
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Mark Scheuern, Photographer
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Grand Blanc | MI | USA | Posted: 8:27 AM on 03.20.05 |
->> Beautiful work, Ron; thank you for sharing it with us. Maryanne's family was very fortunate to have someone so respectful and caring there to document her last days. I lost my mom to cancer a couple of years ago and your photos brought back a flood of memories.
Mark |
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Debra L Rothenberg, Photographer
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New York | NY | USA | Posted: 8:37 AM on 03.20.05 |
->> I am crying here in NYC. I can hardly see the letters on the keyboard.
Ron, thank you for sharing this with us. You made us feel as if we know the Martin family through your words and pictures. Powerful, indeed. I don't know if I would have been able to do what you have done.
Like Damon said, I wish the story had a different ending too. Maryanne was too young.
Debbie |
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Eric Wynne, Photographer
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Halifax | NS | Canada | Posted: 8:54 AM on 03.20.05 |
->> Wow!
Amazing story Ron.
What has been the reaction from readers so far? |
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Matt Strasen, Photographer
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Stillwater | OK | USA | Posted: 9:47 AM on 03.20.05 |
| ->> I echo everyone else's statements. Very powerful and moving images. |
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David Butler II, Photographer
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Somers | CT | USA | Posted: 10:02 AM on 03.20.05 |
->> Hi Ron,
Very moving story and your images tell it with great emotion. It is such a gift that the family shared their story with you and also with your readership. It must have been very hard to shoot but very important, I’m glad you chose to take it on.
Be good
dbii |
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Ron Erdrich, Photographer
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Abilene | TX | USA | Posted: 12:06 PM on 03.20.05 |
->> Thank you, everyone, for your kind words.
I was woken this morning by Darell calling me before he went to church to express his thanks and appreciation. The print edition came out today so I'll probably have to wait a day or so before I hear anything.
I should say a good story must have good editing and I couldn't have presented this to you without the talents of Reporter-News Photo Editor Robbie Rogers, Managing Editor Barton Cromeens, and most especially fellow staff photographer Nellie Doneva who knows the Martins as well as I do. She helped me put the final polish on the slide show.
The day after the funeral, I went through my entire take for the story sitting at home. I didn't want to feel uncomfortable if I started crying over my pictures in the newsroom which I knew would probably happen.
I did cry a bit but I still got through all 3,600 or so frames, narrowing it down to 420. Those I brought to work and from that take we hashed the story out.
Maryanne was my friend and I'm dealing with her loss as best as I can, which means I embrace my grief and just try to work it out. Yesterday I went over to Darell's and I brought him some strawberry plants that I didn't manage to kill over the winter, as well as some tomato plants, to put in the backyard for him and his youngest son Jon. I also brought rose food for Maryanne's rose garden so that it would continue to thrive. Gardening and digging around in the soil always seems to make me feel better.
Thanks again and keep the questions coming if you got 'em.
-Ron- |
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Thad Parsons, Photographer, Student/Intern
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Oxford | UK | United Kingdom | Posted: 12:20 PM on 03.20.05 |
->> Ron,
Great job! That is a very touching and heart-felt story. I am glad that you shared it with us.
I would love to hear what readers have to say about the story.
Again, thanks for sharing the story and, more than that, thanks for doing the story. |
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Bruce Twitchell, Photographer, Student/Intern
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Lewiston | ID | USA | Posted: 12:45 PM on 03.20.05 |
->> Beautiful.
My father has lost two wives to cancer as well- my mom and step-mom. It takes a lot to bring me to tears and I will admit that your slideshow did that to me. I am going to go call my dad now. Thank you for sharing with all of us. |
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Lucas Jackson, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Ventura | CA | USA | Posted: 4:11 PM on 03.20.05 |
| ->> Excellent story, I feel as though I was there with the family the entire time. the captions add alot to it as well. |
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Marcy Sutton, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Ventura | CA | United States | Posted: 5:12 PM on 03.20.05 |
->> That story really is touching, it just about brings a tear to my eye. It makes me think about how precious life is; I'm so lucky to have such good health and caring friends & family.
Ron, you did an excellent job of documenting a very difficult struggle. Thank you. |
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Monty Rand, Photographer
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Bangor | ME | USA | Posted: 7:54 PM on 03.20.05 |
| ->> EXCELLENT!! Great work. |
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Colin Corneau, Photographer
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Brandon | MB | Canada | Posted: 8:55 PM on 03.20.05 |
->> It would be a touching tribute if you could somehow use these images to raise money to aid other people in similar situations.
Maybe it's the Canadian in me, but I find it very disturbing to have to fundraise to get medical treatment...to have something in place to help others would be a fine way to salute this woman.
Just a thought...great work. |
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Bradley Newton, Photographer
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Carrollton | TX | USA | Posted: 9:06 PM on 03.20.05 |
->> Ron
These images put life in a proper perspective. I will hug my wife a little tighter and hold my tongue a little longer. Thanks for bringing your talents to this forum and to Sportsshooter. |
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Jeff Stanton, Photographer
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Tucson | AZ | USA | Posted: 9:17 PM on 03.20.05 |
| ->> I'm here at my office and have been fighting back the tears. Well done Ron, Well done! |
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Chris Lawson, Photographer
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Centennial | CO | USA | Posted: 9:21 PM on 03.20.05 |
->> Ron,
A beautiful tribute to Maryanne told with a respectful heart, a talented eye and a dedicated soul.
What an honor to be asked to document her life and her death. I'm sorry for your loss, but take light in the fact that you are a great friend whom she will never forget.
Thanks for sharing!
Chris Lawson |
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Ron Erdrich, Photographer
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Abilene | TX | USA | Posted: 12:28 AM on 03.21.05 |
->> Thank you all so much for your kind words.
Someone had asked in an email if there was any audio recorded during this project and there was. Nellie Doneva shot over 10 hours of video (maybe more, I'm not sure) complete with interviews with Darell, Maryanne, and her children. You can see a bit of it on the website, you'll need Quicktime to view it, it's the link next to the one for my slideshow.
Thank you again and I am deeply honored this work has touched so many.
--Ron-- |
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Vasha Hunt, Photographer
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Opelika | AL | USA | Posted: 12:39 AM on 03.21.05 |
->> Ron,
Excellent work - very touching. I'm glad I took the time to get to know the Martins through your images.
Vasha |
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Danny Gawlowski, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Muncie | IN | USA | Posted: 1:01 AM on 03.21.05 |
->> This is not the easiest thing to say, but the closer a photographer is to a subject the more he/she needs a great editor. Ron, your work is great. However, a tighter edit would improve it. You probably need to sit on this for a long time before you can look at it objectively. When you are ready, come back to it and make it stronger. Or, find an editor you trust now and walk away. I think your story will benefit.
Thank you for working with heart. |
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Guy Rhodes, Student/Intern, Photographer
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East Chicago | IN | USA | Posted: 3:43 AM on 03.21.05 |
| ->> No edits needed for me; one of the best photo stories I've seen. Composition, use of available light, content - very inspiring work. |
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Eric Thayer, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Ventura | CA | USA | Posted: 4:03 AM on 03.21.05 |
| ->> Amazing work, I can't even begin to describe how it made me feel...It made Erik's girlfriend cry, and almost all of us...Great, great work. |
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Guy Rhodes, Student/Intern, Photographer
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East Chicago | IN | USA | Posted: 4:06 AM on 03.21.05 |
->> After my last post, I went back and watched the video portion of the story, and it raised a question in my mind about the cameras (both still and video) and their presence during what would be considered a very "private" affair by most families (namely, the funeral service and burial ceremony).
Ron, can you share how some of the family members and friends outside of Maryanne's immediate household reacted to the cameras and taping during the funeral? Did you have anyone voice any disapproval to you at all, and if so, how do you handle this? What do you say to someone right there on location who might think what documenting a funeral is inappropriate?
Also, were there any moments where Maryanne's husband might have asked you to leave the room during a private moment? If so, how do you handle these moments (other than the obvious answer of leaving the room)? Do you apologize for imposing later on, etc.?
I was going to email Ron directly, but I thought the answers to these questions might help everyone on the board. |
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Guy Rhodes, Student/Intern, Photographer
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East Chicago | IN | USA | Posted: 4:08 AM on 03.21.05 |
| ->> "what documenting a funeral" should read "that documenting a funeral", apologies. |
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Wesley Hitt, Photographer
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North Little Rock | AR | USA | Posted: 8:31 AM on 03.21.05 |
->> Beautiful, stunning, I cried just looking at the photos.
Ron, great job. There is not much else to say. |
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Walter Calahan, Photographer
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Westminster | MD | USA | Posted: 8:32 AM on 03.21.05 |
| ->> My mom died of ovarian cancer. I've been there. Thanks Ron. |
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Marcin Szczepanski, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Madison | WI | USA | Posted: 10:09 AM on 03.21.05 |
->> Ron,
A great story, it made me appreciate my daily life more. You must have spent lots of time with your friends given that some of the shots were taken at night or very early in the morning. The editing is fine in my opinion, you diversify the angles, perspectives and get some nice closeups.
Thanks for sharing, Ron. |
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Eileen Blass, Photographer
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Kennett Square | PA | USA | Posted: 10:11 AM on 03.21.05 |
->> Ron,
Thank you for sharing your touching and heartfelt images with your readers and with us. You have showed us all how to work sensitively and to be the proverbial "fly on the wall". Your essay brought me back to an assignment I did a few years ago. I was asked to chronicle the journey of a colleague of mine at work. Her name was Cathy Hainer and she was a remarkable human being. Cathy was a writer in the Life section at USA TODAY and she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. She wanted to write about her experiences fighting the disease. I followed her battle with cancer for two years. She taught me courage, and I learned from her ability to face down insurmountable odds. She maintained her very sharp sense of humor throughout her treatments. She taught me what comfortable "space" meant when documenting someone's life. Cathy lost her fight with cancer, but by sharing her experiences with our readers, she gave many just like her the courage and the will to live every minute, no matter what.
Wonderful work, Ron. |
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Ron Erdrich, Photographer
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Abilene | TX | USA | Posted: 1:46 PM on 03.21.05 |
->> You guys are great, thanks again for these kind words.
You might get a Coke or a refill on that coffee, this is a bit long and my apologies for it.
Access was unique in this story, probably the most unique I've ever had. I had the benefit of knowing the Martins for so long and of doing that first story on Maryanne and her treatment back in 2001.
For those interested, the treatment was a stem-cell transplant. Basically, they harvested stem-cells from her blood, then gave her massive doses of chemo. That killed not only cancer cells, but her immuno system as well. Afterwards, they reintroduced the stem-cells which jump-started her immuno system.
Anyways, Darell and Maryanne were familiar with the rules that I work under. No posing, no setting up, I'm a fly-on-the-wall, etc. What was great about it was that they would tell other people who might be around to "just act natural and pretend he isn't there."
This year's project on them was pretty much the same. Darell and I sat down a few times and talked about what would be happening.
We had this kind of funny conversation one time. The thought had occured to me that I didn't want Darell to think I was taking advantage of them. But before I could say anything he came up to me and said, "Listen, I don't want you to think we're taking advantage of you just so you can take pictures."
I remember laughing and said, "Well Darell, I was just about to say to you that I didn't want you to think I was taking advantage of you and our relationship just so I could take pictures." We both had a good laugh over that one.
I did tell Darell that there would be photographs of suffering as well as images of joy. My explanation was that if you're going to tell the story of a life, then you've got to have the bad right in there with the good. Being Darell, he not only understood, he thought it the right thing to do.
He told me he was fine with me photographing everything I wanted, but he didn't want any pictures of Maryanne after she died.
Of course I thought that might be one of the most powerful pictures, but I tenatively agreed to it and then began to discuss it with him.
I couldn't see any picture of a deceased Maryanne running in our paper, but I could see photos of friends and family reacting to her immediate death running. I told him this and explained that this is an important aspect of the story.
I reiterated that I had no interest in a photograph only of a deceased Maryanne but I did have one of him and his family at that moment. He could see why and he understood and said to me that we would just cross that bridge when we came to it. As it was, I wasn't there when Maryanne finally passed away so it never really mattered.
Later, however, I went with the family to a private viewing of her body earlier in the day before the visitation. I photographed them looking at her casket, as well as Darell alone with it, and that was okay.
We were all sitting in the visitation room with the casket talking when one of the kids asked Darell if he thought that Maryanne's Catholic parents might want a picture of her. He thought about it for a second and said to me, "Ron, do you think you could take a picture of Maryanne for them?"
A kind of weird feeling went through me when he asked. I felt honored and uneasy all at the same time but I agreed.
I decided I would do it up right and switched from shooting available light to using a lower ISO and bounce flash. I really started concentrating on my technical details because obviously I wanted to get it right, but mostly because it kept me from dwelling on what I was photographing.
I shot some side angles of her and then stepped closer to get more of a frontal angle. I framed her and then focused. Then I refocused, and refocused again and again and again.
It was like I was a skipping record. I just kept focusing and refocusing on her. A vindictive voice in my head was telling me, "Well, live it up. This is what you wanted, isn't it? Weren't you secretly desiring this? Aren't you pleased with yourself?"
I just couldn't do it. I couldn't take that picture but I couldn't let them down. I just stood there like an idiot focusing and refocusing with the tears making it harder now to do even that. It got very quiet and Darell came up behind me and gently rubbed my shoulders, told me it was alright, thanked me, and then I was able to make the frames.
But there were plenty of times where I hit my own wall and just couldn't take a photograph. The first time I saw Darell cry was one of those times. Maryanne's parents and one of brothers had just arrived and there was a lot of crying and hugging among them.
I had no problem photographing that, maybe because I expected it. But I heard a weird noise across the room and I saw Darell crying. It just shook me. I knew I should photograph him but I couldn't bring myself to do it, so I turned back to what I was doing.
When they took Maryanne to hospice on Valentine's Day, I really had to steel myself to make those pictures. The first ones I took of Darell crying alone at the kitchen counter were very raw and didn't make it to the final edit. I could only manage two frames and then I put my cameras down and put my arms around my sobbing friend. When he felt a little better then I began photographing again but it was still pretty tough.
It was the same when he had to leave Maryanne and fly down to south Texas for his son's wedding. He had made a promise to his son to be there and he knew Maryanne would have demanded he go. But to leave her there when she might die in his absence was excruciating for him.
After the photograph of him slumped over her sleeping form was taken, he gathered up his things and went outside to the nurses station. I was right behind him and was going to follow him to the airport. He walked across the hall to give the nurses some last-minute instructions and suddenly turned and placed his forehead in profile to me on a closet door and started weeping. They came over to comfort him and I just couldn't do a damn thing. I'd hit my wall, I just stood there and I had no strength in me to lift the camera, much less make a frame.
I felt guilty about all this later on, I felt I should have been stronger and that if I'm going to be a professional journalist I've got to be made of harder stuff than this. I never heard of one of my early heroes, James Nachtwey, standing there like a lump when it started getting rough.
But I eventually had to face that I was doing the best I could and maybe sometime in the future I'll be stronger when something this raw happens in front of me. For now, however, this is where I was at and I had to just be satisfied for doing the best that I could under the circumstances.
Access is everything but a lesson you might take from this is be prepared for what that access brings you. It was overwhelming at times for me and it could be for you as well. There's no real way to prepare for that, you just have to expect that you might be called to photograph something beyond you.
But you can't grow if you don't stretch for things out of reach.
Thanks again,
--Ron-- |
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Ian Martens, Photographer
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Lethbridge | AB | Canada | Posted: 2:59 PM on 03.21.05 |
->> This is not the only time I have heard where a journalist is affected emotionally while covering a story. Some would believe that journalists are cold-hearted, unfeeling cynics. It’s nice to know that this is not always the case.
I subscribe to the idea of being a ‘fly-on-the-wall’ and not affecting the subject you are covering, but we are human and if the line between being an impartial observer and being a human gets blurred a little in situations like this, it’s probably not a bad thing at all. I suspect it would be a bit unhealthy if it didn’t.
Ron, thanks for sharing this story - the Martin’s and your own in covering it. It sounds like it took a lot of courage. |
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Brady Lane, Photographer
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Marshfield | WI | USA | Posted: 10:38 PM on 03.21.05 |
->> Ron,
Thank you for doing this story.
The Martins remind us all of the precious gift of life.
Your images remind us why we do what we do.
My mother is battling brain cancer. I'm going to call her tonight.
Thanks again, Ron. |
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Dianna Russell, Photographer
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Springfield | MO | USA | Posted: 11:00 PM on 03.21.05 |
->> Ron,
When I saw this thread on Sunday, I decided to wait to look at the photos and read the story when I wouldn’t be in a hurry. I knew it would be powerful and would make me cry. You did an amazing job and your work really honors your friends.
Thanks for not only sharing your wonderful work with us but for expressing your thought processes during that time as well.
Dianna |
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John Kavouris, Photographer
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Bartlett | IL | US | Posted: 11:26 PM on 03.21.05 |
->> Wow. One of the best photo stories I have ever seen.
Great work. |
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Nadine Redd, Photographer
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Kansas City | KS | USA | Posted: 12:05 PM on 03.22.05 |
->> Ron,
AWESOME.....
Nadine |
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Dave Kennedy, Photographer
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Nanuet | NY | US | Posted: 12:47 PM on 03.22.05 |
->> Thanks for posting this work/link here, very, very good work.
Dave K |
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Tony Sirgedas, Photographer
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Eatonville | WA | USA | Posted: 3:23 PM on 03.22.05 |
->> Ron,
Thank you for sharing this with us, your compasson and respect really comes out in both the story and your posts. As I sat and read this a huge lump formed in my throat.... this could have been me. My wife is sitting downstairs curled up in her chair alseep, dealing with the side effects of the chemo she's going through. I feel lucky.... her prognosis is good and I should have many more years with her. To Darrell, please pass on that our prayers and thoughts are with him, he has a support group much larger than what he can see or feel. |
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Ron Erdrich, Photographer
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Abilene | TX | USA | Posted: 1:03 AM on 03.23.05 |
->> Looking back on all of these great posts I realized I might not have answered Guy's questions fully, so I'll take another stab at it here.
Here is his post again:
>> After my last post, I went back and watched the video portion of the story, and it raised a question in my mind about the cameras (both still and video) and their presence during what would be considered a very "private" affair by most families (namely, the funeral service and burial ceremony).
Ron, can you share how some of the family members and friends outside of Maryanne's immediate household reacted to the cameras and taping during the funeral? Did you have anyone voice any disapproval to you at all, and if so, how do you handle this? What do you say to someone right there on location who might think what documenting a funeral is inappropriate?
Also, were there any moments where Maryanne's husband might have asked you to leave the room during a private moment? If so, how do you handle these moments (other than the obvious answer of leaving the room)? Do you apologize for imposing later on, etc.?
--
When it came to photographing the funeral itself Darell did ask for some privacy. I covered the service the way I usually cover other funerals. That's usually with a long lens at the back of the church and up in a balcony.
There was kind of a jolt when it came to the level of intimacy dropping off regarding those pictures. But I pretty much was there to document that part for Maryanne's parents, I didn't think I would get anything great for my story during the service, though I was open to the possibility.
The family had been so great up to this point that I felt I owed them something. Yes, I didn't get photos of them up close to Maryanne's casket while they were weeping. Yes, a part of me wishes I did have those photos. No, I don't think the story suffers because of that since I had so many other pictures during this time. I did get to photograph them at the graveside but it wasn't as emotional as in the church, I think they were pretty much cried-out by that time.
There was one time when Darell asked me to stop taking pictures. It was at church the day after Maryanne died. I was sitting in the pew in front of the family and occasionally turned around to make a picture.
A friend of Darell's, who is a policeman, didn't know my relationship to them and thought I was disturbing them and said something to Darell. Darell in turn thought his friend was being disturbed by my photographing in church and, becoming self-conscious, asked me to stop.
I was a little irked but I agreed. Ironically, before I had taken my first photo of the family during the service I had debated whether it was proper or not for me to make a picture in church. I wryly thought that if God had a problem with it then He would let me know. I guess He did.
Darell apologized profusely afterward to me and introduced me to the man whom had spoken to him. I said it was okay and my fault since when I photograph in a church I usually let the pastor know but didn't for some reason this time.
Afterward, Darell would go out of his way to introduce me to people and let them know I was photographing him and that it was okay, even with the funeral home staff.
But during the times when hard images had to be made, Darell and the others knew my reasons for being there and even defended them. It was spooky, but sometimes they would complete the explanation for me before I could when discussing it.
Here's a great example:
Rarely, if ever, do we ever run a picture by a subject for their approval but there was one picture in this story that our ME asked me to take to Darell and that was the one of him slumped over her sleeping body before he left for his son's wedding.
There was some concern that it looked like Maryanne had already died though it was acknowledged that anyone reading the cutline would know that wasn't the case. But it was pretty raw emotionally and so I took it to Darell.
We sat down over a meatloaf dinner and talked about different things and then he asked what picture was it that folks were concerned over. I told him what the concerns were and pulled the folded printout from my back pocket.
He looked at it, told me it was a good picture, and said how else can anyone ever know the dilemma he was faced with at that time? Choosing between staying at your dying wife's side or leaving for your son's wedding can be written about extensively, but for him the photo said it better than any words ever could.
Of course I knew he would say this, I wasn't at all worried going into it. But part of the reason that I knew was because I had told him about the kinds of things I would be photographing, that I wouldn't be holding anything back and that he should understand that. He did.
I hope that answers your question better, Guy.
Thanks again,
-Ron- |
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Scott Sewell, Photographer
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Topeka | KS | USA | Posted: 1:40 AM on 03.23.05 |
| ->> Wow. Very touching and powerful photos, Ron. Thanks for sharing. |
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Sherrlyn Borkgren, Photographer
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Eugene | OR | USA | Posted: 3:37 AM on 03.23.05 |
->> PHEW....SO honest raw and sensitive. What a wonderful opening.
As I began looking at these images I was probably a comfortable 15 inches away but found myself quickly moving closer to the computer screen. I wanted to study each face, their eyes, their body language.
It is if I know these people. In a way they represent all of us don't they? How fragile and temporary we are.
I don't think about the photographer as I look at these images. I am completly encaptured into their lives.
Thank you for sharing this story. Thank you for this family who so openly shared their vulnerablity and love.
I want to see more of your photos from other work too! |
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Guy Rhodes, Student/Intern, Photographer
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East Chicago | IN | USA | Posted: 3:40 AM on 03.23.05 |
->> Ron,
Thanks for answering my questions. Its nice to have some background knowledge of how these heavy-hitting assignments are shot, and how to deal with subjects and their families with sensitivity. |
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Robert McClory, Photographer
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Orlando | FL | USA | Posted: 3:09 PM on 03.23.05 |
->> Ron,
It's funny, me and a colleague of mine who is neither a photographer nor journalist were having a discussion about, among other things, the merits of photo and plain journalism. In the course of the conversation we stumbled across the usual mass-perceived ideals that all journalists are out for themselves and will "get the story no matter who they have to hurt in the process."
As we were having this conversation that ranged from the right to keep sources secret, to journalists exposing military secrets, and whether in general, journalists are working to the detriment or or demise of society, I came across this thread and I could not have asked for a better, more rich example of the complexity of photojournalism as I understand it.
I immediately emailed the link to my friend and we both realized that your story embodies all that is both difficult and right in journalism.
Thank you for your candor, time and devotion to this subject. By sharing your story, both technical and emotional, you continue to display the kind of humanity it took to do the story in the first place.
Thank you,
Robert |
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Sarah Kiewel, Photographer, Student/Intern
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Gainesville | FL | USA | Posted: 6:19 PM on 03.25.05 |
| ->> A beautiful story. I think this is what we love about photojournalism, the emotion we share with the people in the photos. Though we've never met them, we share their pain. Thank you for allowing us to share this. |
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Joy Absalon, Photographer
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Centreville | VA | USA | Posted: 6:42 PM on 03.26.05 |
->> Ron:
You did a wonderful job. Like Debra, I was crying as I read the captions and looked at your amazing photographs. I lost my mom to cancer 19 years ago when I was only 25 and viewing your photos took me back to that time and those days with my mother. I'm sure the family appreciated your time, talent, and hard work. |
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