Coming to work this morning, in Holloway Road, the police had cordoned off the road.
There was a huge fire in a flat above one of the shops there. There was thick smoke everywhere. The fire brigade and police were in attendance and I had to cross the road to get past it and to work.
On the other side of the road, I had to pick my way through people standing there taking photo's with their mobile phones. One cyclist stopped purposely to do just that!
I know there is money to be made. During the London bombings the BBC were urging people caught up in it to send in their mobile phone photo's. Well I am sorry, but I think that is mercenary. If I had been unlucky enough to have been caught up on a bombed train/bus/platform, the last thing I would have done, is get my bloody mobile phone out to take a picture!!
As it was, I worked across the road from Aldgate station and just listening to the constant sound of sirens and helicopters flying backwards and forwards to the Royal London hospital was bad enough. Not once, out of respect for any dead people, did I even consider going out there with my mobile phone/camera.
But I suppose, that fire was news worthy.
Later, I went out for breakfast and noticed an ambulance up there. I really hope no-one died.
8 comments:
I'd have taken photos of the fire, but not of the bombings. Or maybe... I dunno. It's all part of history and, in that respect, worth documenting.
I am seeing all of this so differently because I am reading a fab book called Blood, Sweat and Tea. It is the blog of a ambulance driver in London. It's worth a read, especially if you work in the big Smog. The bloke has a blog too - he's called Tom Reynolds.
BTW I wouldn't have taken a photograph.
Cx
It's in the same category as rubber necking i suppose. Well somewhat. I disagree with both. If i see an accident i do everything in my power to avoid looking. It tends to upset me for the rest of the day.
ALl thos lovely names though Holloway Rd, Aldgate. I'm missing London a lot at the moment. I think it might be time to move. Again
GO
You can come to London and work here. We teach performing arts!!!
It does make me smile though because I look forward to going home to Crewe at weekends!!
Thanks Caroline, I will look out for that.
I've ordered the book and visit his blog regularly. You can find it here: Acts of Random Reality. I believe I mentioned him to you once before but it might have been somebody else I mentioned him to. You know what me and my memory are like.
I read BSandT again last night and it made me cry! It has you up and down and sometimes shuddering. Really great!
Cx
I agree with your first commenter that this is history and history should be documented. And there's little doubt that the best form of documentation is through photography. It's the reason we send photographers to war zones and famine ridden areas of the world - not because we find some kind of perverse thrill in seeing photographs of starving children and victims of bombings and torture. Imagine how difficult it would be for our generation to truly understand what happened during the war if it wasn't for the photos and film footage that's available. No, I really don't have a problem with anybody taking photographs of these situations and would almost certainly have done so myself.
I've also read Blood, Sweat & Tea and would highly recommend it.
mmm now why doesn't that surprise me?
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