when good photojournalism goes bad

Today in class we were watching a slideshow of the work of Eugene Smith, a famous LIFE magazine photographer who documented WWII, when this girl in the front of the room basically fainted. Two students sitting by her got the professor's attention as she was laying her head on the desk and becoming noticeably limp. They laid her down on the floor and called 911.

A few minutes later a parade of paramedics took over the classroom. As class ended, a few students, including me, lingered around a while because, well, I guess it just didn't feel right to just leave. I had my camera-- I didn't know if it was appropriate to photograph or not. I waited outside of the classroom, and one of the paramedics took a seat on a bench outside.


Thomas Hand (left), of the Gainesville Emergency Medical Technology team, waits on a bench in Weimer Hall Thursday next to junior Emily Detoro (right) as paramedics assist a student who nearly fainted in her introductory photojournalism class. The student believed the slideshow of the work of Eugene Smith, famous for his often gory WWII photographs, caused her to become ill.

At least it's good to know the Alachua County Emergency Medical Technology team is overstaffed.

The cause of illness:



Thank you, Mr. Smith, for your obviously compelling photographs.

P.S. the girl is o.k.