Press photographers can be so rude! – True or false?

Attending a high-level event like the funeral Mass of Archbishop Emeritus Gregory Yong really shows the difference between a church photographer and one from the secular media.

It’s not that the church photographers are less professional (actually I think they’re more professional). It’s that church photographers are usually more polite. It also helps that we know what to expect from a Mass.

Secular press photographers like to push and shove a lot. Yes, I understand that there are some positions that are great for photo opportunities, but you don’t have to shove another photographer out of the way to get the shot you want, or cut in his direct line of sight. I mean, come on, the other guy got into position first! Let him take the shot then you can take it if the moment is still there.

Catholic photographers also have more camaraderie. We acknowledge each other’s existence, not turn our noses up at each other, like one guy did to me. But what really got me steamed was one guy who shoved my camera aside so that he could pass. I never met a photographer as rude as to touch another photographer’s camera without permission. I think he came from Channel NewsAsia, because I saw him talking to the CNA videographer a lot.

At least the Straits Times photographer was more polite, stepping out of the way to let others take the shot once she was done, and giving way to other photographers.

The highlight of the event, for me, was the gospel acclamation, when I learned which ones were photographers from the secular press. As you might know, the Cathedral Choir of the Risen Christ (more commonly referred to as Peter Low’s choir) was singing for the Mass and when all rose for the gospel acclamation, the choir burst into brilliant song. At that point, the altar servers came forward with the thurible and incense started to fill the air.

It was at that point when I truly appreciated the significance of the signs in the liturgy, which showed that the proclamation of the gospel is truly the high point of the Liturgy of the Word. This sign was not lost on the non-Catholics either. The secular press photographers suddenly emerged from wherever they were sitting, and rushed forward to the front of the altar, just behind the altar rails, and starting clicking away on their cameras with their flashes going off in rapid fire.

The other church photographers looked at one another curiously, with one of them joining in. Then I understood… that the signs of the liturgy (especially the choir) showed all gathered that something grand was taking place, hence photo-op, or so they thought…

Now that’s what I called good liturgy!

When I first started out at this photography thing, I was wet behind the ears, and I just followed whatever the other photographers did. When they pointed their cameras at something, I did the same. When they rushed to a certain location, I followed, all because I didn’t know better. That’s probably what that one church photographer did when he followed the other photographers to take photos during the gospel acclamation.

Now, after exactly three years and three days in the job, I have no more qualms about shooting photos in the direction opposite to the other photographers’ present. I know what shots I need to get, and I don’t need to follow the others. If anything, I’m probably more experienced than them when it comes to taking photos for church events, even if my number of years are fewer.

I know when the photo-ops are going to be before they come, and I know I don’t have to follow others and take photos that I won’t ever be using. I know the best moments to collect stock photos – and I often do it when every other photographer is focusing on something else (because it means my targets are also focusing on it, and it’s easy to take their photos then).

I also know that sometimes, the best photos are taken from angles that people (especially other photographers) least expect. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that if there’s another photographer in the spot you want, find another spot. There’s no shortage of great spots, if you just develop the eye for it. Only a rude and insecure photographer steals another photographer’s shot.

Even so, I still get lucky and land a few choice shots which I do not expect. I can only thank God for putting me at the right place at the right time. I also miss some great photo-ops either because of insufficient preparation or because I just wasn’t fast enough.

I’m not at liberty to share all my photos with you now, because my duty goes first to my job, not my blog. But here are some that I can share:

This is a photo of the crowd inside the cathedral on 2 July 2008. I have never seen the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd so packed before! If you look closely (or if you had a high resolution photo, or if you were there), you might have seen people standing on the top level beside the pipe organ. Interestingly, I did not notice the presence of any Catholic politicians. Maybe they avoided the funeral Mass and came for one of the memorial Masses instead.

This is a photo of the crowd outside the cathedral. This is taken from the entrance at the right transept of the cathedral and you can see the crowds stretch under the tentage all the way to the Rector’s house. Now imagine this crowd on all four sides of the cathedral. It was hellish to squeeze in from the outside to where the casket was placed. Raymond, another more experienced photographer than me, chuckled as he saw me after I made my way in after him.

This is a nice photo of Archbishop Nicholas Chia blessing the casket before it was sealed and moved. Remember the CNA photographer I wrote about earlier? Well, he was standing behind me and some other photographers along the central aisle. He tried to shove his way past us, but I think the other photographers also had enough of his rudeness and we all stiffly refused to budge for him this time. He was left with no choice but to get a less than optimum shot.

The funeral Mass was attended by a number of bishops – the most I’ve seen in any Mass held in Singapore this year. They came from Malaysia, where Archbishop Emeritus Gregory Yong was Bishop of Penang for nine years before being appointed Archbishop of Singapore in 1977, a post he held until his retirement in 2000.

This is a photo of the procession of the hearse going around the cathedral building. Now here’s where I share with you something that you would not have heard on the news, and would only have known if someone who was there told you about it, or you were there yourself.

You know how the weather has been lately, right? Blistering heat? Well, yesterday was no different. In fact, it was so hot and sunny that many of the photos that I took inside the cathedral had a lot of glare. Even my external flash could not light up some faces. So here’s the strange part. At one point during the Mass – I forget which part – everyone heard a clap of thunder. Just one clap, no more. So strange at such a bright and sunny day.

Later, when I went out to take this photo, it started to drizzle. That explains the presence of umbrellas in this photo. I looked up into the sky, and was astonished to find one dark cloud hovering over the cathedral. No other dark cloud was present in the sky save for this one over our heads. How strange is that!

Anyway, this has been primarily the reason why I’ve been so busy these few days, with no time to blog. An interesting thing to look out for in the next issue of Catholic News are fond memories of our dearly departed Archbishop Emeritus Gregory Yong as remembered by our Catholic laity, religious, and priests. Collecting these responses reminds me of my own fond memory of this wonderful man:

I was in my first year in NUS Catholic Students Society, and was part of the Exco 18. Being a freshie and member of the Exco meant that I was pretty nervous when we had to make our formal visit to the archbishop and present ourselves. That year was Gregory Yong’s last year as Archbishop and was, in fact, only a few months before his retirement.

We were invited into his house for a seat and while we were wondering what this meeting was going to be like, all of a sudden we were each served a bowl of peppermint chocolate chip ice-cream covered with Baileys Irish Cream. That was the first time I ever tasted Baileys, or ever taken ice-cream with alcohol. It helped lighten the mood, and soon we were all laughing away at his many jokes. It was a great evening.

I had a couple more encounters with this wonderful man – once when I visited him with a friend at General Hospital; and once at St. Joseph’s Home with Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino. I think that was the last time I saw him alive.

It’s been great to have a brief look at this man who has touched the lives of so many people, and to see beyond what everyone remembered him most for – “True or false?”