Darryl Moran
POTTSTOWN PA – If you ever wanted a close-up view of what it’s like to be with SWAT officers in the middle of a tense urban shooting situation, Pottstown professional photographer Darryl W. Moran has already supplied it.
Moran, of Subject Matters Photography on Sixth Street, on Monday (Feb. 13, 2012) told the world via Twitter, the social media platform, that he’d posted 40 photos to a Facebook album of last week’s shooting stand-off at the Logan Court Apartments. Attempted first-degree murder and other charges were lodged Monday by Pottstown police against the 56-year-old man involved in the incident.
Like others who witnessed last Thursday’s (Feb. 9) events unfold, Moran was kept at a distance from the action and relied on his cameras’ telephoto lenses to capture the action. Some of the images provide a gritty sense of the day’s confusion and anxiety.
Kevin, thanks for the heads up and “stealth” advice, and since you brought it up… I’m not going to let you blame me for what happened, especially with the way you and your companion flipped on me, which was observed by the residents I was talking to. They couldn’t believe the way you both acted when the police said we all had to move because we were in the line of fire, and neither could I.
Let’s get the facts straight. Not sure how I “drew attention” by simply arriving on the scene where other local residents were gathered, and as we were talking, the police were adjusting positions and told everyone in the area to clear out because we were “all” in the line of fire, including a teenage girl who was standing directly in the same area on the playground as other press members. I did what the officers said and found a safe and secure area to shoot, and from that point on I was in front of the building, and shot from a safe area along with others from behind the yellow tape.
Why I was berated and yelled at by the others who were being told by the police to move for safety reasons is beyond me, and I have NEVER seen pro’s act that way on scene or location in over 23 years! Drawing the police out from their cover and forcing them to walk up and directly to tell someone to move because they were being ignored by those they wanted out of harms way? That’s a bit more of an issue than the one you have decided to make of my being there.
Joe, if you want to remove the article, please feel free to do so. I wasn’t even going to post the shots, but a few of the local residents wanted to see them so I posted them to FB. Wasn’t expecting this that’s for sure.
Darryl
Darryl, thanks for adding your side of this story. The article, your photos, and now this controversy, all have attracted significant attention. I have no plans to remove our story. Regards,
Joe Zlomek, Managing Editor
Perhaps the above named photographer shooting for the Pottstown Post could use a little more discretion when working his way into such a volatile news scene. Stealth is important for any news photographer to gain access to get the shots needed. Drawing attention to yourself thus giving up the location of other media at the scene only escalates matters worse and gets us all pushed back or even tossed out. Not to mention your own safety is at risk as well. There is plenty of room for all of us to work together. Take it as constructive criticism from fellow newspaper photographers who have much more experience working the streets.
Kevin, thanks very much for your comment. As a professional who’s worked the news beat in Pottstown and elsewhere, your advice is to be respected. To clarify, however, photographer Darryl Moran was an independent shooting for his own portfolio, and was not in any way connected with The Pottstown Post during the course of these events. The Post simply discovered his photos posted on his Facebook page and, because they were publicly available, let its readership know they could be viewed.
I appreciate your readership, and that you’ve added to the discussion. Regards,
Joe Zlomek, Managing Editor