CUTLINE: LaTina Harris sheds a tear while holding her daughter Makila, 3, Saturday, June 5 at friend Shontae Croft’s apartment in Aiken, S.C. LaTina’s brother D’Than Harris, 16, drowned on a dare at Langley Pond, Memorial Day weekend Sunday, May 30. This is the second death for LaTina in a year after losing her newborn son in April due to kidney failure.”The biggest thing I’ll miss is just know he’s not there,” LaTina said. “He was my comfort, like a son.”
Because I neglected my blog for a year, I feel I owe it to you and myself, reflection and thoughts on images I felt shaped 2010 for me as a person and photojournalist.
The first image I want to start with is the story of a young mother who lost her brother D’Than after he was dared to jump into Langley Pond in S.C. and drowned.
While the photo is a pretty straight forward photo, it’s interesting to talk about the events that got me to this point.
When I arrived, the mood in the air was very somber. I can only imagine what it was like for this young woman to recall the fateful weekend she endured after finding out her brother had passed.
We began talking and I established the presence of my camera as the crack of the shutter as it ripped through the silence. Scenarios like these you never know the human response because they have never had their life documented beyond a superficial snapshot let alone recall a story that is heartbreaking.
She was stoic and staring off into space, the weight of the world seemed to be carried on her shoulders. Her friend Shontae put her arm around her to comfort her. LaTina clung to Makila like a loaf of bread.
The writer Kyle began talking about the events of that weekend after some small talk, just so we could get to know her a little better. She was open about her feelings, and despite the tough story, she wanted us there. We talked for bout 30 minutes. Kyle got what he needed and left. I stayed to ask a couple more questions. Not to undercut Kyle’s abilities, I needed a few more questions answered. Not because for the story but for myself.
Journalism is a peculiar thing to me, it really isn’t “journalism” like in a textbook or taught at colleges. It actually isn’t journalism. To me, I approach my job as person to person. The same way anyone would talk to a stranger or meet an individual. I tend to remove the filter of a, b, c, and d and just be a human. I think at times we get wrapped up in formulas, people can see through those filters. It becomes very, ‘business.’ People become guarded and not reveal the true self. I suppose that’s what I wanted to see most, the thing we photojournalists want to witness daily. The uninhibited self. The kind of self, when you pull back all the layers you see the image of feeling. Unguarded. That is why I stayed.
I began talking with LaTina asked a few more questions and then the one question came up that struck a deep chord. “What are you going to miss most about D’Than?”
She cried. I held back my tears. I comforted her, told her God bless you and parted.
On my way home, I pulled over and had a good cry myself. The extraction of heavy emotion is always taxing on the soul. For a brief moment, I was a vicarious instrument for this young woman. What I saw was doubt, fear and sorrow. But I know LaTina will be fine. That’s the other thing I did see.
My friend Frank at the beginning of my career asked me, “Did you bleed and sweat for your photos today? Did you cry with your subjects?”
At the time, I didn’t understand what he meant so many years ago, but on this day I truly did.
Tags: 2010, drowning, langley pond, pond, tears
Camera data: 70mm, f/2.8, ISO 1250, 1/100 second
Date Taken: 05-Jun-2010 20:15:44
wow corey… (bill clement’s wife here) this was such a beautiful picture and a wonderful story too. i love the last two lines about crying with your subjects. very beautiful. i really enjoyed these photos. you are super talented!