A born leader

Photo credit: Andrew Martin

 

It’s exactly one week since the horrific killings of 50 people in the mosque attack in Christchurch, and I want to thank you for the beautiful messages I’ve been receiving from around the world.

In New Zealand we are still reeling.

I am not a Muslim, notr do I live near Christchurch.

However my baby was born in Christchurch. My oldest child lives in Christchurch. And a neighbour here in Titirangi lost her uncle, who was shot in the back at the first mosque.

No one is really excluded from the terrible events of last Friday.

One thing I can say is I am so very very proud of our Prime Minister, who has demonstrated respect, love and compassion.

The influence of a leader is not to be ignored. New Zealanders are pouring love and kindness onto their Muslim neighbours. We are discovering mosques we didn’t know existed. We are paying our respects and offering help to those we know might feel vulnerable right now.

We are coming together.

These days, everyone has influence. Everyone can be a leader.

As a photographer, you have terrific influence over others. Your choice of images, the subject matter, your personal approach to how you direct those you photograph can all have an effect on viewers.

Good and bad.

Your work can make us feel sad or motivated.

You can show us horror, or you can show us hope. (Here’s an old blog post that talks about this in more depth.)

What kind of leader do you choose to be? Because make no mistake, you are making an impact on everyone who sees your work.

I choose hope.

If you want to donate money to help the victims of this attack, you can do so here