Don McCullin - Shaped By War

[ndiginiz]

Don McCullin is one of the world's most acclaimed photographers, whose thought-provoking images have helped our understanding of modern conflict and its consequences.

WARNING: SLIDESHOW CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT

more....

[Nicola]

a legend photographer. wonderful how in his later years photography brings him peace.

I'll never understand how photographing and risking ones life doesn't do a thing to change mankinds urge to antagonise and obliterate ...

[CWyatt]

McCullin has to be one of the best ever. The book 'Shaped By War' was printed very recently and can be had pretty cheap.

I think this is from his first foreign assignment, in Cyprus, and shows McCullin carrying someone to safety:
http://static.photo.net/attachments/...K-20605384.jpg

[weka2000]

Watched the slide show and came to the following conclusion

You dont have to be a good photograher in a war zone, you just have to be there.

Lets face it you dont have time to compose, setup flash units, pose people .... etc
You just point and click and duck.

Ive shot people at the point of drowning at Bethals a few years back and trust me you dont "think" about each shot you just follow the action and get as close as you can to get the expression on their faces. Trust me not a situation I would want to be in again. (no I didnt sell the photos to the herald I have ethics)

[Nicola]

"You dont have to be a good photograher in a war zone, you just have to be there."

that could also be applied to motorsport etc.

you need to know your camera in and out so that you can respond quickly using the right exposures/dof etc. Don's work above was using an old F Nikon film camera with only a few controls and probably just 50mm and wide angle lenses. for quick reaction shots his exposures for light seem spot on. and then there's the empathy he seemed to have with his subjects. a good photographer could photograph in a war zone but he'd be relying more on good luck than honed craft.

[weka2000]

"You dont have to be a good photograher in a war zone, you just have to be there."

that could also be applied to motorsport etc.

you need to know your camera in and out so that you can respond quickly using the right exposures/dof etc. Don's work above was using an old F Nikon film camera with only a few controls and probably just 50mm and wide angle lenses. for quick reaction shots his exposures for light seem spot on. and then there's the empathy he seemed to have with his subjects. a good photographer could photograph in a war zone but he'd be relying more on good luck than honed craft.

I agree re the motorsport as I have spent many a full day at Puke. In fact its your hearing that tells you whats about to happen.
Again I know my camera, I set it and shoot. TV mode 1/160-1/250 ISO 100 unless its overcast the ISO 400.

Do something long enough and it becomes second nature. Do something when your only 1 of a few people and you become famous.

Now lets say we had a war tommorow or disaster in Auckland there wouldnt be 1 or 2 photographers there would be thousands. What photo becomes famous (a) Some top notch photograher who was in town, or (b) some kid with a 350D set on green mode that captures a desive moment cause he was at the right place right time and just got lucky?

[Nicola]

I get ya now ...

[weka2000]

Oh option (c) the person who takes an ok photo but knows how to market their work. They become famous and rich. People go WOW to their work but have no bloody idea what its all about

[Nicola]

dont you start talking about my avatar photo

[weka2000]

dont you start talking about my avatar photo

Oh it was a photo

[Nicola]

yes

[ndiginiz]

I can guess its all in the way in which define You dont have to be a good photograher in a war zone, you just have to be there. Or perhaps the way in which you define a good photographer....

I very much doubt McCullin was concerned with the aspect of money to have captured the photographs he did over time and during the wars he witnessed. To be a photojournalist of the caliber McCullin takes more than a want to be famous or to make money. But I have no doubt if you're good at what you do then fame and money will follow. McCullin is famous because his (war) photographs depict humanity at its worst and best from moments in time when humanity is at it ultimate lowest.

Weka, perhaps you mean to or perhaps you don't but, the way your comment is worded I find it rather ludicrous that you might be insinuating McCullin is, "not a good photographer". In a time when photography was an unadulterated method of exposure and capture, it's people like McCullin who had the eye, the brain and the courage to photograph life and humanity beyond the scope of ideal thinking and realities.

ADDED: it's only one slideshow....

[weka2000]

Weka, perhaps you mean to or perhaps you don't but, the way your comment is worded I find it rather ludicrous that you might be insinuating McCullin is, "not a good photographer".....

Well his photos didnt move me, except for the under fed kids ones.

I was thinking about this last night. How many images came out of 9/11 that were not produced by pro photographers. Rather people like us.
I dont get to emotional about photo journalism, any form of journalism I take with a grain of salt.