Aaron Huey’s TED talk wasn’t really about the
Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and its inhabitants’ struggles, at least
not in the context of our class. His passion for the Lakota tribe was irrelevant,
because during class, the photos shown in his slide show caused me to wonder how
I could connect with a subject like that. How could I capture such raw, honest
emotion? However, I researched Huey’s collection of photography and found some
interesting information.
After viewing his photography, many American
Indians thought it was a one-sided view of the Lakota people. They asked, why couldn’t he have taken any photos of
happy, sober, employed people, people
like me? When does one cross
the fine line of bias? Sure, it’s important to be passionate, but should I be
passionate about people whose story I may not know everything about?
“A flaw of all journalism is that someone
else is telling your story,” Huey said. “It was always through my lens, and [my
critics] felt like that lens was distorted.”
“Sometimes, it’s a matter of subjects’ not
liking the way that other people see them. Other times, it’s a matter of
photographers not really having seen them at all. “ So, yes, his photos illustrated
moments of despair, of sadness, of anger, but that’s not their subjects’ whole
story.
What I got from Huey’s speech was just a
reminder. He reminded me that I may have the potential to capture a moment, but it’s just
a glimpse into that person’s world—I have the power to interpret their story if
I choose to share that captured moment. That’s a lot of power.
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