Photos and Perverts

The other day a neighbor came to my house to solicit a signature for another neighbor who was running for the Toledo School Board. After a brief conversation, she realized who I was and exclaimed, "Oh, you're the photographer who put my daughter in the Blade!"

She then went on to explain how that photo of her teen daughter soaking up the sun in her backyard had gotten the attention of a prisoner in jail. He had seen the girl's picture, looked up her last name and street in the phone book and called her at home. Fortunately, the mother answered the phone both times, preventing her daughter from speaking or even knowing about this undesireable stranger. I don't blame the mom for being annoyed and frightened with that photo, because it prompted a man to call her daughter from prison! 

The photo, taken years ago, was innocent enough: She was sunbathing in her bathing suit and, because it was hot, and I mean HOT, she had brought out a typical household fan to keep her cool. I happened to drive by and saw this. In my defense, I don't think a single photographer seeking features for a paper would pass that up. I also admit I'm a bit naive when it comes to the mind of perverts. It never entered my mind that this young girl could be harassed by prisoners or stalked by predators.

To make a long story short, my fortune of finding an interesting feature turned into someone else's perverted fantasy. 

The pictures photojournalists take for newspapers wind up in all kinds of places: refrigerator doors, scrap books, wall frames, and in the hands of prisoners. It was just an eye-opener for me. Should we include street names with these kinds of feature photos? Maybe not. 

Yes, we are responsible for filling news pages.  But are we responsible to our subjects  once our photos are published? I don't think so. We just need to be mindful of who we're putting in the paper, and who our readers are...

The international language of winning and losing

The Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic at Highland Meadows has come and gone, but the thrill of it still lingers. 

I posted a Facebook message before the final round last weekend wondering what the odds were that a South Korean would win the Farr: 3 to 1. I would have taken that bet, considering Se Ri Pak alone won 5 times! This year Eugjung Yi, 21, will have her own street in Sylvania. Not bad, since she's only been competing in the LPGA for two years. That's incredible, considering South Korea is the size of Indiana. 

The huge Morgan Pressel crowd was disappointed, of course. And so was Paula Creamer, the defending champion who had to pull out due to a thumb injury. But the competition was exciting, no matter who won. Quick recap: Yi takes big early lead Round 3, and keeps that lead until the last few holes. Pressel caught up with her on Hole 17 and forced a replay on Hole 18. 

This kind of drama is exactly why I like shooting sports. Yi desperately wanted that ball to go into the hole, and I needed to capture her reaction when it did, or didn't.  That's what sports photography is all about.  The photos say it all: Yi's ball did plop into the hole, and Pressel's didn't.

Let's hope we have a tournament to talk about next year...