First official assignment....
Dramatapix®
Registered Users Posts: 430 Major grins
I have my first official assignment for a newspaper in my town. I have been asked to shoot the funeral procession and funeral of a police officer that was killed in the line of duty this week. I'm looking for suggestions, and tips from anyone that has shot something of this nature before. Any comments or feedback is appreciated.
Brett
Brett
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Comments
First RIP the officer...
As a serving LEO and a photographer, I can probably give you a few tips... LEO's are instinctively supportive *and* protective of each other. Having said that, in situations like this they will be more focused on their fallen friend than on you as the photographer. However, try to be as unobtrusive as possible. They will appreciate it if you're not "in their face" during this time. It's probably one of the few times you'll ever see LEO's showing emotion... so you should try to capture it! Got a long(ish) lens? If you have, you should use it to your advantage. Shooting off some shots of facial emotions from a distance with a 200 or 300mm lens will likely get you some great shots, whereas if you approach them with a short lens on they may turn away or stiffen up, knowing that they are about to have their photograph taken.
Get some shots of the casket too... with the pall bearers. It's likely to be a large gathering, so you'll have to scout around very quickly for good vantage points.
I guess the most important thing, and the one that will get you the most respect and support from the LEO's is to be empathetic... don't try to "take over" their "event". It's a time when they are feeling very sad and to some extent vulnerable. If you can capture that without them even knowing you've been there, then you've done your job :-)
Just a few random thoughts...
Good luck with the assignment.
Kenny
http://www.kenlyonsphotography.com.au
Thanks Brother. I am a former police officer myself having served on this very force that Officer Briggs was a member of about 19 years ago. Thank you for your input. If you are interested, I'll post a link to the gallery once I've posted it.
Brett
Seems I was telling you how to suck eggs... sorry 'bout that
Ken
http://www.kenlyonsphotography.com.au
I did manage to get a good location for the procession in front of the police department, as well as making my way to Concord, NH to shoot the funeral procession passing our State House.
If anyone is interested in seeing the images, they can be found at:
http://brettmallard.smugmug.com/gallery/2026225
There are some really moving photographs in that gallery. You did a fantastic job of covering such a sad event. It was obvious from the numbers of public lining the route that he (and the Dept) are well respected.
I don't know what it is, but I really liked these two... I think it's because of the emotion they show...
Well captured all round...
http://www.kenlyonsphotography.com.au
It was an extremely emotional day. There were well over 4000 Law Enforcement officers in the procession, in addition to the thousands of people lining the route. At points the crowd of onlookers was 4 and 5 deep in some spots.
This cop was a cops cop, and he was a true hero. He had been recognized for valor in the past for rushing into a burning building, not once but twice to rescue people inside and was credited with saving the lives of 19 people.
The man that shot and killed him??? Three years prior, this same creap was shot himself in another incident, and Officer Briggs was the first responding officer and was credited with giving first aid to him until the medical personnel could arrive.
Michael was also a man of the homeless and those that he had actually arrested in the past. It was not uncommon for him to hug a homeless person or to steer people to the right path that he had actually incarcerated in the past.
I'm proud to have served on the Manchester Police Department, and even though there is an element of evil that has moved into our city lately, I've no doubt that good will overcome here. This is a great place to live and raise a family, and in large part, thanks to people like Officer Michael Briggs who work each and every day to keep our streets safe.
Brett
I REALLY like this one - it conveys alot to me
Thanks... I like that one as well. The contrast of machinery and the flower, and stillness of the roses as life goes on around it.