Of all the things I’ve covered, funerals might be the worst.
The photos usually come out great, don’t get me wrong. There’s a lot of raw emotion and beautiful moments that portray the love people have for those they’ve lost, but when I’m at a funeral with a camera, I can’t help but feel like scum.
I think what most people don’t understand is that when media outlets show up to a funeral, they’re not trying to invade and ruin the day. They’re trying to honor the deceased by communicating how much they were loved by the community. That being said, I completely understand that the last thing I would want at a loved one’s funeral is a camera in my face.
On Saturday I covered the funeral of SPC Payton Alexander Jones, who died while on duty in Afghanistan on March 1, 2012. He was 19.
What’s worse than feeling like scum while shooting a funeral? Seeing a hearse parked outside a high school auditorium.
When I got to Marble Falls High School, where Jones went to school not too long ago, there were over 100 Patriot Guard Rider motorcycles parked outside, and the riders lined the streets with American flags. I got there early so I could get the lay of the land and capture images of people as they arrived. To my surprise, almost everyone was already inside. I found out later that there was a ceremony earlier in the day to award Jones with a purple heart and some other medals.
I got a couple shots of the Patriot Guard Riders as I made my way to the door, trying to get parts of the school in the background.
When I was getting a shot of the hearse, a man in a military uniform came up and whispered that the family asked that media not be let inside the building for the ceremony, or at the graveside service. That’s, of course, not the ideal thing to hear, but I told him I would do my best to be respectful.
By that time I noticed there was a news crew at the corner, so I went over to ask what they had heard. They were finishing up an interview with a young man who looked like he was a friend or relative of Jones. I grabbed a shot as he wiped away a tear on his way back inside. He was a childhood friend and the only one I got a close shot of that day who knew Jones.
I stayed outside for a while and captured what was going on, which was mostly the Patriot Guard preparing to escort the family to the graveside service.
I took off just before they did to find a high spot on highway 281, where I could get a shot of the processional as they made their way to the graveside service. I found a high spot that would have worked, but car dealership signs and power lines weren’t terribly flattering when I stopped to take a test shot.
I moved down the road some and found a much better place just outside of the Marble Falls city limit. In fact, when I pulled over and looked back, I saw the Marble Falls city limit road sign, which made a nice, subtle addition to the shot I had in mind.
I waited for almost an hour on the side of the road before a long line of motorcycles appeared, followed by a hearse with American flags.
Not too many people stopped on the side of the road, but there were a few. A couple stopped not too long after I did, but they waited in their truck in the shade for a while and I didn’t think they’d do anything to add to a photo, so I let them be.
Then I turned around as the motorcade passed and they did this –
I just wish I had seen them a few moments earlier. They said they had a grandson the same age as Jones and just wanted to pay their respects.
There’s no way around feeling the emotion of a funeral, even if you’re a member of the press and you’re there to do a job. It’s especially hard when someone so young is taken suddenly. I hope I was respectful to the Jones family.
Click here to see the Statesman’s coverage of the Jones funeral.
One Comment