PBS高端访谈:用照片讲述无情大火（在线收听）

JUDY WOODRUFF: It is said that a picture can speak 1,000 words. Photojournalist Marcus Yam looks for images to tell the tale of heart-wrenching moments. Here is his Brief But Spectacular take on what we learn from what we see.

MARCUS YAM, Photographer: I am a natural busybody. For my school projects, I would just drive up to farms and make my long way up these long driveways and just, hey, how's it going? Can I come take pictures? In most situations that I look in, most people want somebody to talk to. And you're there to listen to what they have to say, you know, and, in some ways, comfort them for their loss. I have been to almost every major wildfire in California, including the biggest one, called the Thomas Fire. The thing I heard on the radio made me realize that this was unstoppable, that firefighters were telling each other that: We're out of units. You're on your own. Like, we just don't have enough resources to send your way. And that's when I know things were getting out of control. At one point, I waited on top of a hill, waiting for the fire to come to me, and I waited a little too long. And I remember having to drive through this, like, wall of flame with my car. And I can feel the heat just, like, searing my skin, inside that car that was protected by all that metal and glass and air conditioning. The common idea that people have is that the news media is just running around taking pictures, reporting from wildfires without any sensitivity. But, in reality, we're just trying to do our jobs, trying to get as much information about the conditions of the fire, how far it spread and all that stuff.

I was at the Erskine Fire in Lake Isabella, and I came across this one home that was getting surrounded by fire. And it had this tattered American flag. I jumped out of the vehicle and took a photo of that, and I moved on. And I didn't think much of it. The homeowner for that home was actually nearby, saw me do that, and thought less of me. He actually ended up following our coverage for the rest of the fire, looked up the work that we did, and wrote me this beautiful letter. Dear Marcus Yam, I stood a few feet from you when you took this picture of my home. I thought to myself, another vulture sensationalizing on people's misery. After seeing this photograph and looking at your portfolio, I was wrong. You portray human emotion without all the makeup and glamour. You have my respect. My home withstood the test that night, and Old Glory still waves. Today, I replaced that tattered flag with a new and shiny one. I would like you to take care of that old flag for me. Sincerely, Darl Snyder. My name is Marcus Yam. This is my Brief But Spectacular take on uncovering the unknown.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And a reminder of the important role that photojournalists play. You can find additional Brief But Spectacular episodes on our Web site at PBS.org/NewsHour/Brief.

朱迪·伍德拉夫：据说，一张图片就足以诉说千言万语。新闻摄影记者马库斯·炎一直在努力捕捉可以讲述让人揪心时刻的照片。今天的《简短而精彩》中，他将分享我们看到的一切可以教会我们什么。

马库斯·炎，新闻摄影记者：我天生就是闲不住的人。在学校做项目的时候，我会驱车前往许多农场，不惜长途跋涉，那结果如何呢？我拍到照片了吗？大多数情况下，我发现人们只想有人可以听他们诉说而已。我去那里仿佛就是为了听他们想说的话，某种程度上，还要安抚他们，让他们不要为失去的一切感到难过。加州几乎每场大火我都去过，包括最大的一场——托马斯大火。电台广播让我意识到火灾是无可避免的，而消防员们也让自己的战友们明白：救火时，我们只能各顾各的，只能利用有限的资源来应对眼前的大火，顾不得别的。也正是那时候，我才发现火势是由不得人的。我曾经在山顶上坐等火势向我袭来，但我等得有些久了。我记得曾经驱车在火墙里穿梭。我能感受到那股灼热，似乎要将我烤焦，虽然我坐在车里，虽然车子由金属、玻璃和空调设施保护。人们都有一个共识——媒体工作者就是跑来跑去地拍照片，即便报道火灾，也不带任何情绪。但实际上，我们只是想履行本职工作而已，只是想尽力获取有关火势的最多信息，比如火势已蔓延多远等等。

我见证过伊莎贝拉湖的厄斯金大火，我恰好遇到了一个被熊熊大火缠绕的房子。美国国旗都被烧得支离破碎。我从车上跳下来，照了一张照片，然后又继续开车了。我当时没多想。那个房子的主人当时就在我旁边，他看见了我的举动，腹诽了我。实际上，他一直跟进着我们关于火势的所有报道，他审视了我们的工作，然后给了写了一封温暖的信。亲爱的马库斯·炎，您拍摄这张照片时，我站在离您几英尺的地方。我当时思忖着：又是一个贪婪的人，想要踩着别人的悲痛制造爆炸性新闻。但在看到照片和您写的报道后，我知道自己错了。您只是描绘人类的感情，没有做丝毫的掩饰。我很尊敬您。我的房子经受住了那一晚余火的考验，美国国旗依然迎风飘扬。

今天，我把那面支离破碎的国旗替换成了崭新的一面。我希望您能一直为我守护这面国旗。祝好，达拉斯·奈德。我是马库斯·炎，这是我本期分享的新闻工作者不为人所知的一面的《简短而精彩》。

朱迪·伍德拉夫：您的分享也提醒了我新闻工作者的重要性。要观看《简短而精彩》的其他期节目，请前往PBS.org/NewsHour/Brief。