Jen Fawkes, APSA, MPSA, SPSA
September 2026 - Rest if sleepy
About the Image(s)
I recently attended a protest for Victorian Doctors seeking better working conditiions. Doctors are generally not good at striking feeling the burden to continue to provide care, so this kind of action is rare. It also means that the Doctors are generally not 'protest savvy', meaning that the signage was poor and small, and the overall feel of the protest was 'fatigue'. Still I managed a few HI images.
My intent when attending events like this is twofold - to firstly get an overview of the events (big numbers, wider scenes) and then focus on individuals. This is one of them.
Taken on Olympus EM1 mk 2 with Oly 12-100mm lens @ 50mm.
F5.6, ISO 1000 SS1/640.
9 comments posted
Hi Jen. What a great topic you have chosen for this month HI. Driver fatigue, this is a major road problem in North Queensland its almost a weekly death on this road and anyone including doctors are at high risk. North Queensland is also short on doctors so they have to travel between towns to provide medical services. The Flying Doctor Service to some extent provides for outback regions.
The photo is well captured only point missing is at least one full logo on participants shirt. Great topic to bring to us all. Posted: 09/04/2026 20:15:39
The photo is well captured only point missing is at least one full logo on participants shirt. Great topic to bring to us all. Posted: 09/04/2026 20:15:39
Hi Ron, thanks for this. The protest was by doctors complaining about lengthy shifts, unpaid overtime and fatigue - nothing to do with driver fatigue. You make a good point about the logos not being visible, but the reality was that the shirts only had AMAVIC (as on the shirts in the background) so it wouldn't have made any difference for this image. Posted: 09/04/2026 20:40:37
I get why Ron thought about driver fatigue...look at the sign. Sort of an odd one for the doctors.
It does seem a worldwide problem is a shortage of doctors and not enough coming up through the schools. Wait times are getting ridiculous, staffing stressed. I like their color-coordinated tees...the blue makes a pleasing shot. And the lady chosen to anchor the shot is well framed. Posted: 09/04/2026 21:15:06
It does seem a worldwide problem is a shortage of doctors and not enough coming up through the schools. Wait times are getting ridiculous, staffing stressed. I like their color-coordinated tees...the blue makes a pleasing shot. And the lady chosen to anchor the shot is well framed. Posted: 09/04/2026 21:15:06
There is a good message in here - if people with time cannot fully look at the image and read the signs, then perhaps we need to be careful about how we tell the story. The signage says 'doctor' fatigue, not 'driver' fatigue. Posted: 09/07/2026 19:33:10
No one is disputing that it says doctor. The sign she carries is of a vehicle crash...it doesn't really work for the event. Maybe we are supposed to get that no doctor would be on hand to save a person in a crash situation? Anyway, I still think it's a rather confusing sign, not particularly apt for the rally. Posted: 09/11/2026 08:47:56
Good image with the center of focus being the lady with the sign and another taking her photo as well. The message is clear concerning fatigue but the graphics of the collision of vehicles on the top does tend to lead people in the wrong direction. I like the many faces and expressions that tend to represent this as a friendlier protest. To me the blue/purple shirts appear to be on the darker side but I was not there to see the true colors. I also think I might crop a little off the right side as in the bottom there is a distracting NIKON strap showing. Posted: 09/10/2026 11:50:12
thanks Tom, I tried it without the Nikon strap but then I cut the man in half behind it. And as for that sign, the doctors did appear to have little experience in protest and the signage was distinctly small and poor. I thought this was one of the best but I can see that it can be interpreted differently than intended. Posted: 09/12/2026 00:28:06
I also saw that a crop on the right side would cut the man's face in half but what if you did it from the bottom? Then you only lose the purse on the lady on the left side. Just a thought but then it almost makes the image a pano. Posted: 09/12/2026 07:15:46
agreed, I guess in the end I left it in and decided it spoilt the moment! Posted: 09/12/2026 20:23:35