Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
Being a war photographer is a tough gig. Very tough. I’m not talking from personal experience, of course, but I have been good friends with a couple. I know it’s definitely not the kind of photography gig I’m cut out for or would want to do. But for folks like American photojournalist, Lynsey Addario, covering combat is just another day in the office.
In this interview with Vice, Lynsey opens up about her life as a photojournalist, and how it caused her to be kidnapped. Twice.
Whether or not you are into documentary and war photography, I believe that you’ve heard of Robert Capa. But even if not, here’s a beautiful video by Martin Kaninsky of YFM Street Photography. He’ll tell you about the man who was described as “the greatest war photographer in the world,” sharing plenty of amazing photos Capa took over the course of his career.
While covering clashes between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Islamic State militant group in Syria, Italian freelance photojournalist Gabriele Micalizzi was severely injured. He was photographing the conflict in the village of Baghuz on 11 February 2019 when shrapnel hit him. Luckily, he survived and is recovering – and he claims that his Leica cameras saved his life.
Photojournalists covering wars are exposed to life-threatening situations every day. Sadly, many of them have lost limbs and even lives while doing their job. This fantastic video from CBS Sunday Morning gives you a look into the lives and legacy of war photographers.
There’s never really been any doubt that GoPro cameras are built pretty tough. Just how tough is often tested. But I never thought I’d hear about one actually stopping a bullet and potentially saving a life. Iraqi journalist Amma Alwaely probably never expected to be the one experiencing it, either, but that seems to have been exactly what happened.
Digital Trends reports that on May 13th, Alwaely was covering the Iraqi troops attempts to recover the city of Mosul from ISIS. A sniper took aim at Alwaely and fired. The bullet is obviously too fast for the camera to pick up, but this video shows the impact of that bullet hitting the GoPro on his chest.
This article might raise a few eyebrows. I am just wondering: do we need the spectacularization of pain?
Film production company Duck Rabbit just published an article on their blog criticizing Magnum Photo and Lens Culture for advertising a photo contest using an image of an underage sex worker having sex with a client. She is recognizable, he is not. Sure the impact is strong, but do we really need that picture? Is it making a difference or is it just sensationalistic exploitation?
The controversial image is just one of very many other pictures that photojournalists may feel pressured to produce.
Most features on the market cover tragedies and photo-editors’ desks are flooded with gut-wrenching pictures. They are often dismayed by the lack of reportage on much other than disasters, Third World tragedies and exploitation of children. There are editors (and readers) who can’t stand seeing pictures of poor kids and other forms of suffering any longer. But… the market demands it and photojournalism is there partly to reveal the ugliness of our world.
The job of a photojournalist is difficult and surrounded by danger. Still, we often argue about the ethics of photojournalism. The opinions vary whether they should be taking photos, or help those in need when things get tough.
Photographer and activist Abd Alkader Habak made his decision last weekend, when a bomb hit a convoy of buses carrying evacuees from besieged Syrian villages. 126 people were killed, and the blast briefly knocked out the photographer himself. But when he recovered consciousness, he didn’t take photos. He took action instead and helped the injured in the explosion.
How do you feel when you see a major historic document right before your eyes? And what about seeing dozens of images that testify about the past? A series of images by Henryk Ross from the Nazi-occupied Jewish ghetto could make you feel the connection with the past you’ve never felt before. The series of images is very strong and emotional, and it could draw tears to your eyes. Some of them are also very graphical and not easy to digest.
It’s not about the photos of war and destruction; at least these are not the only things you’ll see. Ross managed to document daily lives of these people and smiles on their faces despite the conditions in which they lived. And he did it all secretly, risking his life. According to the Polish laws, the images are under public domain and can be shared. So we are sharing them, along with their incredible story.
The atomic bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th & 9th in 1945 remain the only use of nuclear weapons for warfare in mankind’s history. Six days later, Japan announced its surrender to the allies, effectively ending World War II. This event has seen much debate over the years, and likely will continue to do so throughout the future.
One of the people involved with the bombings was 2nd Lt. aircraft navigator Russel Gackenbach. Now 93, he flew into the heart of Japan on August 6th, as “Little Boy“, the 9,700lb (4,400kg) uranium-235 atomic bomb was dropped onto Hiroshima. While chaos ensued all around, Gackenbach managed to fire off some photographs of the detonation on his personal camera, which he’d taken on the flight with him.
We just posted about Felix’s Sandtroopers project yesterday, but is it too soon to post another Star Wars miniature related project? We don’t think so, so here’s a behind the scenes look into photographer Matthew Callahan’s essay, Galactic Warfighters.
As a US Marine, Matthew serves as a combat correspondent, giving him special insight into war photography that many of us will never be able to experience first hand. In his Galactic Warfighters series, Matthew aims to humanise the faceless soldiers of the Star Wars universe by combining the worlds of science fiction with real world war photography scenes.
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