Hey guys I was just curious what are the steps you need to go through to become one of those photographers who get sent to iraq or any other conflict zone to take photos? Where can you apply? And what type of experience do you need to be considered? Is it even plausible for Filipinos etc?

Try to meet Romeo Gacad, photographer for Agence-France Presse. Or begin by googling for him. He is one of the most-awarded Filipino photojournalists.

Try to find the War Photographers video by Nat Geo... It covers the "inside" story quite well...

You basically have to be able to stomach suffering, death, murder and other "atrocities" right in front of you without much emotions and the nerves of steel to not do anything about it while one kills another...

Of all the documentaries and interviews I've read/seen, basically that's one thing that'll be required of you to stay as a war photographer... The "photojournalism" aspect of rallies, political figures, poverty in the metro will pale by comparison coz it's nothing compared that seeing death happen in front of you and be numb about it when pressing the shutter.

The risk of death is not an "if" but a "when" if you cover enough...

No to mention other things to consider.
- bullets don't care if you use nikon, canon, or an M16
- journalists are targets of opportunity
- families fear that midnight phone call from your boss or embassy

I believe for war photography you need to be a photoJOURNALIST first, a photographer second. You will need a steely commitment or else it'll get to you.

Right, Romeo Gacad came to my mind. He was also one of the 55 international photograhers invited to shoot the "9 days in the kingdom" photo fest here in Thailand last year. (There were 2 pinoys) He served in Iraq for sometime. Hats of for his courage and talent.

Maybe you can also ask our Jo Laurel (DPP member)....here's his multiply account: http://jolaurel.multiply.com/

How did this thread end up in Show Me The Money?

I just couldn't just imagine myself being shot at and shooting back with a camera... and dont shake!:)

Just thinking... Try covering an airsoft game and tell every player thet they could shoot at you. Does that give half the adrenalin rush of a real war photog?

=> Sir Marc, Love your sig. it means a lot to a widow's son.

Just thinking... Try covering an airsoft game and tell every player thet they could shoot at you. Does that give half the adrenalin rush of a real war photog?

=> Sir Marc, Love your sig. it means a lot to a widow's son.

I agree w Eric, that would at least give you maybe some idea on how to cover war and conflicts. Rule of thumb, dont get yourself hurt!:) War have no respect to human life regardless of age, status... This is a very heroic profession!

@eric, thanks. Was it your father who is a widow's son?

Re Airsoft... Hardly... Knowing you won't die (you're more worried about your gear getting hit actually) vs being blown off to pieces is quite a big disparity :Grin:

1. Aspire to be a kick-ass (not kiss-ass) photojournalist
2. Get yourself in AP, AFP or Reuters (like John Javellana and Tammy David)
3. Experience and time will determine when they'll send you to conflict zones
4. The rest will follow.
5. Be a man. (facing death in the field isn't something that most of us looks forward to)

Romy Gacad was also featured in Reader's Digest Dec 2007 issue- Eyes on the Kingdom feature on Thailand.

Romy is an inspiration to us all. Check DPP issue 13. Napakabait. Napakahusay. Txtmate ko ito hehehe

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r73/Papapipopoo/RomyGacad.jpg

Romy is as gritty as Capa and the rest of 'em, and like Capa's famous saying that goes something like this- "If your pictures aren't good enough you aren't close enough", Romy isn't just close enough, he is at the center of the crossfire.

Hey Romy, don't step on any mine, and wear a helmet please. =)

Or you could fund yourself to go to a war stricken country and shoot freelance. Try to capture incredible images and sell them to news agencies. That should shorten your path to reaching your goal but a much harder and a very dangerous one.

Good luck.

Check out "magnum photgraphers" in the search engine. These photogs are willing to die just to get images.

Yeah, the Magnum guys are a source of inspiration, no doubt...

Romy is as gritty as Capa and the rest of 'em, and like Capa's famous saying that goes something like this- "If your pictures aren't good enough you aren't close enough", Romy isn't just close enough, he is at the center of the crossfire.

Hey Romy, don't step on any mine, and wear a helmet please. =)

Robert Capa hated the war. He's the same guy who said

“...the war photographer’s most fervent wish is for unemployment. It is not always easy to stand aside and be unable to do anything except record the suffering around one.”

AMEN

Thanks for all the replies.

Yeah I've checked out Gacad's work recently, Damn spectacular stuff.

Red,
I hope you're still single. If you're married and this is the kind of work that you will do, it can be hell worse than wars for your wife who will be worrying about you.

Really a hazardous profession:

http://abbeymanila.multiply.com/photos/album/27/Hazards_of_the_job

Red,
I hope you're still single. If you're married and this is the kind of work that you will do, it can be hell worse than wars for your wife who will be worrying about you.

No worries I'm not yet married. :) And I was just curious as to the steps it would take if ever.

Marriage is also a War/Conflict Zone :D:D:D

Marriage is also a War/Conflict Zone :D:D:D

Could even be worst...


My wife has a blackbelt in Karate and a sharp shooter...also a good cook! I have someone to defend and feed me!:Grin: I am the ambassador!

red, wag ka nang lumayo. you could start by going to militarized zones like the quezon part of sierra-madre, or mindoro, or basilan where there's armed conflict between our government and the leftist forces. or you could volunteer to join the encounters of the marines against them. better yet, since you are that willing to really get into the "action", you could volunteer to be abducted by our government's enemies and also document their encounters.

yeah, agree with arpee, you could go to Sulu for some OJT...hehe ;-)

OJT sa sulu? hehehe baka magaya ka sa na kidnap na journalist kamakailan.... :-D walang sinasanto mga yun kahit media ka.

B.H.’s Tao of War Photography (http://brucehaleypictures.com/#/Tao%20of%20War%20Photography/)

Note: I’ve had some people ask me to put this on the website, so here it is... please keep in mind that this was written over a decade ago, so some of it is a bit dated..

B.H.’s Tao of War Photography

subtitled: “Never Ride an Asian Elephant While Wearing Shorts”

Includes:

Observations

Thoughts

Vented Spleen

Profanity

and

Diverse bits of good advice peeking above the sarcasm...

1. To begin with, practice this sentence: “If I get out of here alive, I’ll never do this again.” You’ll say this to yourself every single time an already dangerous situation really turns to shit...

2. It’s true that photography can save your life... the big dent in the front of my F3 would have been an entry hole in my face...

3. As a general rule, people really don’t catapult ten feet into the air whenever an artillery round explodes near them, despite what Hollywood war movies show you...

4. Big jungle foliage makes acceptable toilet paper in an emergency, though it’s rather lacking in the absorbency department....

5. The editors of the major magazines really don’t give a rat’s ass about the latest war and famine in the hinterlands of East BurkinaTimorLanka... you’ll never get an assignment to cover this unless Leonardo DiCaprio becomes a rebel commander and Tommy Hilfiger designs his battle fatigues....

6. Absent Leo and Tommy, a few murdered white tourists will cause a temporary blip on the radar screen... or not......

7. True anarchy sucks... forget those tie-dyed, dreadlocked white kids in the university towns who advocate hemp and “anarchy” - if the real thing ever happens here, those assholes will be on the bottom of the food chain....

8. If a rebel commander asks whether you would like to be buried in his country or your own, he may very well be serious and not just testing your resolve...

9. If the rebel commander from #8 sends you along on what turns out to be a kamikaze mission, it could be because the British journalist accompanying you happened to fart during the commander’s dinner the previous evening, causing said leader and all of his aides to silently rise and file out of the small mountain hut (a very very bad sign).......

10. It is said that sudden fright causes people to soil themselves... I have noticed that sustained fright causes increased flatulence: fear-farting... I have also seen Afghan mujahideen run out into a heavy rain of incoming artillery rather than shelter in a small crevice with two fear-farting Western journalists......

11. Do you believe in a personal, loving God who really cares about us mortals down here...? Go to a few war zones and famine areas and watch all those innocent children die, then answer this question...........

12. On the flipside of #11: many of the people who have actually suffered through such hardships show the greatest faith I’ve ever encountered on the planet... go figure.......

13. If some natural phenomenon occurs with almost supernatural timing and saves your ass from almost certain death, and you’re told that Allah just intervened, believe it.......

14. Are you rabidly devoted to saving all of the world’s wildlife? Would you be enraged if you saw a guerrilla soldier blow a monkey out of a tree with an M-16...? Bugger off..... after weeks of living on the run in the jungle, eating nothing but rice, that goddamn barbecued monkey leg tasted like filet mignon......

15. Lenses, rocks and Pakistani border police make a bad mix... people ask me “Why did he smash your lens on that rock?” Answer: the same reason a dog licks his balls - because he can...

16. The Serbs will shell a hotel that they know is occupied only by journalists... this is proof that the Serbs have done at least one thing that the rest of the world can understand...

17. Study and understand the different types of weapon systems - once they spring off the printed page and are actually firing at you and exploding around you, you will wish that you had devoted more effort to that study.....

18. If you don’t understand the entire concept of indirect fire, do not go to a war zone... If you only remember one thing from this article, let this be it.......


Click for more (http://brucehaleypictures.com/#/Tao%20of%20War%20Photography/)

Marriage is also a War/Conflict Zone :D:D:D
just think, if not for marriage, men would go through life thinking they had no fault at all. marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence. :Grin:

B.H.’s Tao of War Photography (http://brucehaleypictures.com/#/Tao%20of%20War%20Photography/)

Note: I’ve had some people ask me to put this on the website, so here it is... please keep in mind that this was written over a decade ago, so some of it is a bit dated..


Great account of endless possibilities... :)
Either you live or die... Thanks for sharing!

Great account of endless possibilities... :)
Either you live or die... Thanks for sharing!

As much as I love these girls (http://photobetty.com/evephotographers), I choose to live!!!

As much as I love these girls (http://photobetty.com/evephotographers), I choose to live!!!

Interesting link about the eve photogs...so inspiring :) yet so crazy. i was supposed to go down south to cover an event, but sadly they're not allowing girls in the "area" anymore... because of security reasons. i want to live too but i wanted to go there as well. :Scared::)