Comments on: Five Reasons War Photographers Are an Endangered Species

By: Me

Me — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:40:23 +0000

Sago- a photographer you might want to look into is Kevin Carter

By: Sago

Sago — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:48:34 +0000

i want to know about a photographer who mentally disturbed due to his photographs

By: Hye Rodvold

Hye Rodvold — Thu, 13 May 2010 13:29:15 +0000

Thank you for your entry. It has given me very much to consider. Thanks again!

By: Carla

Carla — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:48:56 +0000

Hi,

I would love to become a war or conflict photographer. I'm currently studying and majoring in Politics and Philosophy. I live in South Africa and my dream is to just get in there and document exactly what is happening, when and how it is happening. I am not afraid of the risks that it involves. My dream is to go to Sudan. Do you think it will all be possible? and how should I go about entering this field?

Thanks

By: James Wardell

James Wardell — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:35:38 +0000

Interesting articles. I have worked in Afghanistan with the United Nations, crossed borders, danced in women only prisons - and played with raw, stick opium as if it was a dough-ball.

I´m currently planning to get out to several "conflict zones" and I do regard myself as a "conflict photographer" - but that can be conflicts between disgruntled students in the centre of Barcelona - throwing bottles at the local police - to suicide bombers blowing themselves up right next to my compound in central Kabul.

I´m still carrying the torch, and to be honest - I really don´t give a damn if Im a dying breed - in fact it pushes me onwards - to bear witness to what is happening, what has happened, and what potentially could happen in the future...

By: Benjamin Hiller

Benjamin Hiller — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:46:15 +0000

Good summary... Peter Harris has asked - what can we do? We can still belive in humankind, the connections across cultures and the own ability to make a change. If there is a storie, just get out, take the risk and try to cover it.... somehow the media will flow and the news will come to an audiance... but the worst thing would be to give up and sit also back like the majority...

By: marc hofer

marc hofer — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:14:03 +0000

Well, I think there is a lot of truth in this five rules. But reality is also more complex than reducing it to a couple of punchlines.

I consider myself a photojournalist from the heart. I quit good paying job, I moved to africa, I go through shitty conditions to take pictures and I was living of my savings for quiet some time. But in the end its the payment that makes the difference. I know so many young and hungry photographers but after a couple of months traveling and trying to work you into things its not that easy today anymore.

We had that discussion about the wars and we came to the conclusion that actually in the late 2000's there arent as many wars and straight forward conflicts anymore around as it was in the early 90ies after the collapse of the eastern block.
Back then you could go to almost any continent and you hade coutless conflicts where you could make yourself a name. Especially during the 80ies and 90ies many famous war-photographer today made their name. It was much easier. If you go to a conflict zone today, almost everyone is already there, making a sell as a non-staffer of one or the other newsservice quiet difficult.

I see the problem with the "new" journalists, that just sit on their ass and reducing their picture of the world to a computer screen. But I cannot say out of my own experience that there aren't enough young and talented guys out there trying their best to get a foot into the door.

By: Jackson Couse

Jackson Couse — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:15:54 +0000

Why are there no great editors in chief?

By: Julio

Julio — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:16:04 +0000

I'm not agree with number 3. Of course, there aren't photographer like Capa, Adams, McCullin. But there are other names.

The main problem is the lack of financing. Nowdays It's more profitable for a maganize an editorial about Summer Resorts than one about Sri Lanka. It's about money, anyone cares about news.

By: Peter Harris

Peter Harris — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:39:01 +0000

Good summary of the situation however where's the follow-up? What can we as photojournalists do to change/influence the situation?

By: shanthyv

shanthyv — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:54:43 +0000

Madia is the first enemy to the racist regimes.
Regimes still get away with Blackouts and Genocide, like we saw in Sri Lanka.

By: Scott Baradell

Scott Baradell — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:10:43 +0000

Good point, Peter. I think we'd all be happy with the lack of war photography if it had resulted from a lack of wars

By: Peter Phun

Peter Phun — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:47:51 +0000

Paul,
This is inline with the trend of newspaper staff photographers becoming dinosaurs too.

Eventually there will be fewer and those who remain as "staff" will be asked to multi-task, edit and shoot video as well.

As bleak as it looks, citizen journalism will always have a credibility problem.

Perhaps when the traditional news media outlets solve these issues of credibility and how they can monetize their content, there'll be salvation for war photographers.

It's not a problem with lack of wars. It's how to support the folks who are willing to take the risks.