I understand where he is coming from, about hating that title, 'War Photographer'. He almost sounds ashamed. But at the same time, I think if people saw the horrors of war, they might be a little less enthusiastic about it. I still remember seeing, for the first time, the pictures of Mathew Brady in grade school and later seeing Phan Thi Kim Phuc ( burned Vietnamese girl ) or the point-blank assassination of a 'suspected communist'. And then having a little hope restored when seeing the picture of the student sliding a carnation into the gun barrel. Photography does matter. It isn't just the captures of a pretty girl or the side of a hill. That's probably why my used Nikon Ftn is still my favorite camera. It survived Vietnam before I got it. In a way, its a war vet.
I can't help to think there must be many photographers / photojournalists suffering from PTSD as a result of their work. Not only war photographers but those following the local police beat, covering hospitals, documenting tough social situations, etc.
And unlike their colleagues in the military or police force, probably not many of them get proper treatment or assistance, since they might work as freelancers, etc.
+1 Ade. Not many people experience PTSD (lucky for them) so as conditions go, it is misunderstood and underrated in its seriousness. He gave a lot - too much for sure - to his profession.
PTSD is a very poorly understood diagnosis. In fact, Mr. McCullin's comments about his "wasted" years of his life are quite possibly a manifestation of this. Understand, I am not making a diagnosis, merely an observation of the video. But, we are all affected by events which are out of the normal range.
If anyone wants to discuss PTSD, please send me a PM and I will be happy to elaborate.
One of the problems in street photos is we may be shooting an image of someone who has outstanding arrest warrants, and they seem to react in this way…. I will ask folks……"Hey, guys, I want to make certain you have no objections, like an outstanding warrant, so if you do have any issues, I want to delete the images." Of course, deleting an image on one card does not delete it on the second card….. unless the image is deleted twice….
And, your folks act as if they are the type who just might be 'on the lam'. )
"Facing a whopping $20,000 bill to recover and transport the body of freelance photographer Ali Mustafa, his grieving family is appealing for donations":
Some weddings get quite hairy ..the young ...25 ish girls get a bit drunk and take objection to something you did earlier ..then the drunk men get involved and you have all that testoterone going into play..we call this the Phil Mitchell effect ( UK will understand)..I say to the wife go get the 300mm from under the front seat and she moves the car to the pre aranged spot with the engine running and phones me to say she cannot find it....I make a sharpe exit ASAP ...oh yes and you always go to a wedding wired ..then you have the evidence if you have any problems..
In high school shooting the football team. Me and the PJ from the local paper had gotten friendly over the years of sideline sitting. Cold late season game and I had turned my back to the field to reload. She knocked me down with a shoulder throw to keep me from Being ran over by our later NFL pro linesman at full speed. Would have likely been at least a broken collarbone or worse.
Other was scarier. Borrowed a deer hunting tree stand and set it up on the edge of my family farm to get a photo of a 16 point buck that had been seen around. Since I was A: not hunting and B: was the owner of the land, I put out bait corn to try and raise my odds. Seems the folks on the neighboring farm didn't recognize me and reported me to Wildlife Enforcement. Here in NC those guys are badass as they KNOW every person the confront usually has a gun. He saw my setup and decided to be clever and climbed the tree, sat above my tree stand before dawn and watched me climb up and settle in. Did not take him long to figure out the deal since i didn't have a gun. Still scared the shit out of me when he said "Good morning." to me after watching me for ten minutes as he was fully camouflaged, hanging above me with a H&K MP5. The guy is actually a friend now and still rags on me about how I squealed when I looked up.
I live just north of Concord New Hampshire, the state capitol. Between my back door and the outskirts of Concord are many thousand acres of 2nd growth forest, mostly farm land that went out of production prior to the depression. There's a 25 acre wilderness pond about 1/2 half mile behind my house accessible by a tote road. So, we have coyotes, deer, moose and lots of black bears who come in in the spring to scrabble for food under my bird feeders (hung 18' in the air). So last year I counted 21 individual bears wandering within a few feet of my back door at various times. Black bears unlike grizzlies and polar bears are not normally aggressive towards people unless they feel threatened or they're sick BUT THEY ARE WILD ANIMALS AND THEY ARE DANGEROUS! The moral to the story is to be cautious, bear spray is not particularly effective for an animal who is hunting you and if you choose to travel the wilderness its best to realize that we don't really belong there and we have a small but real risk of injury or death when we do choose to go there. In my case I always carry a firearm when I'm out and bears are about and though I've had lots of bear encounters, I've never had to defend myself or to kill an animal. (Makes an interesting choice- my rifle or my camera?) Having said all that, I suspect there are far more predatory creatures to be found in the average urban landscape than in my back yard.
@Bland…. I have wondered about the angle you shoot some of the dragsters from…. now, I know. Sort of like the rest of us… camera in hand, no fear….. glad you are OK. Be safe!
I removed the stroller out of the car and the tripod ended up coming out too and falling on my big toe. I had to walk it off for about 30 mins of walking and at the end of the day it was still throbbig. Nothing major happened and I'm back to normal walking.
I removed the stroller out of the car and the tripod ended up coming out too and falling on my big toe. I had to walk it off for about 30 mins of walking and at the end of the day it was still throbbig. Nothing major happened and I'm back to normal walking.
Perhaps that is the real reason for a carbon fiber tripod...
I removed the stroller out of the car and the tripod ended up coming out too and falling on my big toe. I had to walk it off for about 30 mins of walking and at the end of the day it was still throbbig. Nothing major happened and I'm back to normal walking.
Throbbig - I think you just invented a new word and I like it - very descriptive!
Haha. I usually edit every comment because I can only see my mistakes in spelling after I post it. I guess I can do a preview but sometimes it glitches.
@Fritz I can only imagine the pain. I have had back and neck problems since 2003. I'm glad your D4 is fine. You can always use a wheel chair to shoot for a different angle
It is such a joy getting decrepit like cutting your trifocals so you can still see through the view finder. Advice to to Msmoto: never leave your F3 on the hood of the pit out ambulance during a super bike race.
It is such a joy getting decrepit like cutting your trifocals so you can still see through the view finder. Advice to to Msmoto: never leave your F3 on the hood of the pit out ambulance during a super bike race.
Comments
And unlike their colleagues in the military or police force, probably not many of them get proper treatment or assistance, since they might work as freelancers, etc.
If anyone wants to discuss PTSD, please send me a PM and I will be happy to elaborate.
One of the problems in street photos is we may be shooting an image of someone who has outstanding arrest warrants, and they seem to react in this way…. I will ask folks……"Hey, guys, I want to make certain you have no objections, like an outstanding warrant, so if you do have any issues, I want to delete the images." Of course, deleting an image on one card does not delete it on the second card….. unless the image is deleted twice….
And, your folks act as if they are the type who just might be 'on the lam'. )
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/03/13/family_seeks_donations_to_bring_home_photographer_killed_in_syria.html
He starts his barrel role mid air directly at me some 50 feet away.
I begin my run for life (LOL) with my arm extended firing my camera at him. He's now where I was standing.
He's about to start flipping end over end away from me. He wasn't hurt bad but he'll be out of action for a while.
May I suggest investing in a longer telephoto lens :P
In high school shooting the football team. Me and the PJ from the local paper had gotten friendly over the years of sideline sitting. Cold late season game and I had turned my back to the field to reload.
She knocked me down with a shoulder throw to keep me from Being ran over by our later NFL pro linesman at full speed. Would have likely been at least a broken collarbone or worse.
Other was scarier. Borrowed a deer hunting tree stand and set it up on the edge of my family farm to get a photo of a 16 point buck that had been seen around. Since I was A: not hunting and B: was the owner of the land, I put out bait corn to try and raise my odds.
Seems the folks on the neighboring farm didn't recognize me and reported me to Wildlife Enforcement. Here in NC those guys are badass as they KNOW every person the confront usually has a gun. He saw my setup and decided to be clever and climbed the tree, sat above my tree stand before dawn and watched me climb up and settle in. Did not take him long to figure out the deal since i didn't have a gun. Still scared the shit out of me when he said "Good morning." to me after watching me for ten minutes as he was fully camouflaged, hanging above me with a H&K MP5. The guy is actually a friend now and still rags on me about how I squealed when I looked up.
T
I removed the stroller out of the car and the tripod ended up coming out too and falling on my big toe. I had to walk it off for about 30 mins of walking and at the end of the day it was still throbbig. Nothing major happened and I'm back to normal walking.
Haha. I usually edit every comment because I can only see my mistakes in spelling after I post it. I guess I can do a preview but sometimes it glitches.
@Fritz I can only imagine the pain. I have had back and neck problems since 2003. I'm glad your D4 is fine. You can always use a wheel chair to shoot for a different angle
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/11/04/b-c-photographer-dashes-for-safety-of-his-truck-when-curious-grizzly-bear-scrambles-up-riverbank/