EYESIGHT

Witness to the human condition

By Matthew Jonas
jonasm@mscd.edu

Photojournalists are often categorized as heartless and unfeeling. We hold a camera where we should hold out our hand. We stare through glass and hide behind black boxes. We capture emotion without showing emotion. We are seen as vultures: hovering, waiting for the next tragic event.

As a photojournalist, I am responsible for documenting all parts of life-positive and negative. Two weeks ago, I attended and photographed my first memorial service. I have never been to a funeral and dread the day when I must attend a funeral ceremony for someone close to me. It was one of the most stressful situations I have ever had to work through.

I stuck out. People stared, shook their heads and gave me negative looks. I don't blame them. Funerals are extremely personal, and I was a stranger. I didn't know Stephen Hay like many did, but I was drawn into the kind words and feelings people shared. There were many times during the ceremony when the audience was overcome with emotion. They laughed and cried. I was witnessing the images that everyone needed to see but did not want to. What's more, I was capturing these important moments for the greater public.

Throughout the service, I found myself fighting back tears. I struggled between capturing strong emotions and keeping my own at bay. I had to force myself to see instead of watch. People argue that a camera separates me from my subject. I disagree. I think, in many ways, the camera and the images it produces act as the bond that joins the individual to society. In my opinion, words can only take you so far. They provide the foundation. A photo builds and strengthens the foundation with a human element to make a story real and complete.

Stephen Hay was a prominent figure at Metro. He was an alumni as well as a former student member of the Board of Trustees. When people spoke at the memorial service, they spoke of his love for his children. It was easy to choose the photo that ran on the cover of this paper two weeks ago. It needed to signify great loss, but emphasize the importance of his life. His children were his life, and they will ultimately suffer the greatest loss. If I offended anyone in attendance or any reader of The Metropolitan, I apologize. However, I feel that the photos benefited more people than they hurt.