Court photography
There’s a lot that’s wrong with this photo.
Attorney Richard Bartheld makes a point to the judge in a divorce case Friday, Feb. 5, 2010 in Yakima, Wash. as opposing attorney Daniel Lorello listens. Bartheld is one of the attorneys who has agreed to volunteer as a judge to help resolve the backlog of civil cases in Yakima County Superior Court.
There’s wall molding sticking out of the head of the older attorney. Also, a TV monitor is sticking out of his head and shoulders. You can’t really see the face of the younger attorney so you can’t tell if he’s showing any emotion. And, as if all that wasn’t enough, the photo is shot from eye level.
But there’s something very right about this photo and that’s that the photo was taken in a courtroom during legal proceedings.
We’re very lucky in Washington state to have outstanding access to courtrooms. In fact, it’s presumed we have the right to be there. If a judge wants to exclude cameras from courtrooms he must state for the record why he (or she) is not allowing cameras in the courtroom.
But once in the courtroom we must follow certain guidelines to minimize the impact of our presence. It’s understood that still photographers will use the quietest camera possible and take a minimal amount of photos so as to cause the least amount of noise. Once the photographer has found a place to stand he doesn’t move from that spot. No shots of the jury. If you leave at some time other than during a break, do so quietly and don’t let the courtroom door slam behind you.
This is why the above photo has issues. I was planted in one spot and couldn’t move once proceedings began. I knew the attorney in the foreground would be speaking only to the judge (there were no jurors) and so I had to pick a spot where I could see as much of his face as possible even if the background was distracting and even if it meant I could see only the side of his face (I couldn’t shoot from behind the judge). These are small prices to pay for such great access to the courtrooms and we should never take our access for granted.
–Gordon King
It’s a shot in the dark
Maybe you’ve heard the term “using available light” to take a photo. That is, using only the light that is there and not adding any light to the scene. Documentary photographers use the term often.
Sometimes, however, it’s more appropriate to say “using available dark” when there’s virtually no available light.
Such was the case when I went along on a survey of bats in Boulder Cave, northwest of Yakima. Bats there are hibernating this time of year making it much easier to count them as they hang on walls and in crevices in the rocky walls of the cave.
Headlamps and two flashlights provided the only light. I could have used a flash but (a) that would have completely altered the mood and character of the scene by introducing the strobe light and (b) the biologists preferred I not use the flash for fear it would disturb the bats. So, the flash stayed stowed in my camera backpack.
So, how do you make photos in near pitch-blackness? High ASA, wide apertures, slow shutter speeds, a steady hand and prayer were my answers to the challenge.
U.S. Forest Service district ranger Irene Davidson uses a flashlight and headlamp to look for hibernating bats in Boulder Cave near Clifdell Feb. 3, 2010. She and biologist Joan St. Hilaire eventually counted 75 bats in the cave as part of a biennial bat survey at the cave.
Vital stats: 1600 ASA, f2.8 for .4 seconds. I braced myself on a rock to steady the camera. It’s mostly sharp. Certainly sharp enough for publication in our newspaper and on our Web site. Or, as YH-R photographer Andy Sawyer calls it – “web sharp.”
Biologist Joan St. Hilaire takes notes during her survey of hibernating bats in Boulder Cave Feb. 3, 2010. Seventy-five bats were counted this year, a slight decline from the number of bats counted two years ago.
The stats here: 1/6th of a second at f2.8, 1600 ASA. This one’s sharper than the first one so something worked better. Maybe my morning caffeine had worn off or the prayer worked. Hard to say.
Lastly, I was finally able to get a photo of a hibernating bat, a vital image for this story.
A hibernating Townsend Big-Eared Bat hangs from a wall in Boulder Cave Feb. 3, 2010. The bats are often difficult to spot as they blend in with the surrounding rock. A survey that day counted 75 bats, a slight decline from the last survey two years ago.
The light was provided by the biologist’s headlamp as she counted the two bats. Not much light, but enough light.
Shooting in these conditions was a little nerve-wracking because there was no “do-over” but it’s always fun to produce photos under challenging conditions. And it was really fun to hang out for a couple of hours in a cave counting bats.
–Gordon King
Being fair
In our paper and on our Web site this morning we published my photograph of a young man in juvenile court.
A youth accused of pointing a gun at police officers makes a preliminary appearance in Yakima County Juvenile Court Monday, Feb. 1, 2010. He has not yet been charged with a crime.
His face is turned so he’s not readily identifiable and he is not named in the cutline or the story about his pointing a gun (a toy gun as it turns out) at a police officer two days ago.
I was asked by a reader this morning why we didn’t name the youngster and why his face wasn’t shown in the photograph. “I saw his face in court on the TV news last night,” commented my friend.
A fair question. The answer to which challenges us as photographers.
It’s Herald-Republic policy to use a suspect’s name and photograph when they are charged with a crime, not at the time of the arrest. “This is in fairness to the person arrested. Publishing someone’s name (and photograph) in connection with a crime may signal to readers an impression of guilt. Until police and prosecutors have gathered enough evidence to warrant the filing of formal charges we usually steer clear of linking a suspect’s name (and photo) to a crime” reads the policy.
We do make exceptions to this policy. The prominence of the suspect or clarity of the situation may allow publication of names and photographs of faces before that person is charged with a crime. There is always a discussion among editors in these exceptional cases before publishing names and photographs which show faces.
But that makes it harder for us to photograph people as they’re being arrested. We have to shoot photos which show the subjects’ faces (in case it’s a really big deal and we name them before they’re formally charged) and we have to do photos of the subjects without showing faces.
Yakima police hold two men arrested Nov. 5, 2009 in connection with an early afternoon shooting at South Second Street and East Race Street. Two officers hold the men as they wait for an eyewitness to identify the suspects. Just after the shooting police believe the suspects drove east and abandoned their car near Washington Middle School and ran west to a house where the two suspects kicked in a door and tried to hide before being found by police. During their investigation police found the car as well as shoes, shirt and a handgun they are convinced belong to the suspects, said Yakima Police Capt. Rod Light. The victim was taken to the hospital with what appear to be non-life-threatening injuries, said Light.
This was the photo that ran in our paper and on our Web site. We did not do a follow story on this incident so we never used a photo which showed their faces.
I understand and respect our policy but at times, it’s frustrating. But we have to do our best to be fair.
And when the young man in the top photo is formally charged we will publish a photo which shows his face.
–Gordon King
Old sayings ring true
There’s a lot of “don’t”s in life. Don’t cross the street before you look. Don’t stick your finger in a light socket. Don’t wash colors with whites. Don’t wear white before Memorial Day. Don’t forget Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, wedding anniversaries or the birthday of your significant other.
An important “don’t” in daily photojournalism is “Don’t jump to conclusions” or “don’t judge a book by its cover.” It’s easy to do either when given what appears to be a less-than-exciting or less-than-visual photo request or one that you’ve done a hundred times before. Do so at your own peril. You may miss out on a good (and perhaps) great photo.
The request came in a forwarded e-mail from one of the sports guys. A long-time athletic trainer at a local high school, now suffering from cancer and no longer able to work, was being honored at an assembly in the school gym. He would be given a plaque for all his years of service.
I’d never actually met Gary Hirst. Though we had shared plenty of sidelines over the years I only knew he was, umm…, taciturn. Never saw him really crack a smile. So I figured there wouldn’t be lots of emotion at the assembly and emotion is what we strive to capture in photos. But we needed a photo for our Local section so off I went to the school.
As people gathered for the assembly I sensed I had been wrong about this. Way wrong. This was more than a plaque-passing ceremony. There was to be a tribute video, other gifts and most significant, past co-workers coming to pay tribute to Gary. A former football coach flew up from Las Vegas just to speak at the assembly.
The assembly was a surprise to Gary (he’d been tricked into coming to the school on the pretense of discussing medical benefits) and from the time he was wheeled into the gym I knew I had been wrong and there were good photos to be had.
Gary Hirst gets a hug from Eisenhower High School cheerleader Tori Fisher as he's wheeled into an assembly at the school by his wife Becky Robins Jan. 29, 2010. Hirst, a long-time trainer at the school was honored at the assembly. He is suffering from cancer.
Gary was his usual self, showing little emotion, but the feelings were there as speaker after speaker paid homage to Gary. Hopefully my photos did justice to the event and the genuine emotion expressed by the speakers and felt by Gary.
Gary Hirst, a long-time athetic trainer at Eisenhower High School, was honored at an assembly at the school Jan. 29, 2010. Hirst is suffering from cancer.
Eisenhower High School student and standout athlete James Lopez visits with Gary Hirst, a long-time athletic trainer at the school, following an assembly Jan. 29, 2010. Hirst, who's suffering from cancer, was honored at the assembly in the school gym. Other students wait to greet Hirst as well.
Read the story and see the photo gallery.
So, I’ll admit was wrong about the request. And I’ll try, in the future, to not judge a book by its cover.
And Gary, to you, please get well soon. I look forward to sharing a sideline with you again in the future.
–Gordon King
