AP - January 23rd - Army Phot Article

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Arkady

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Rob
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A few of you may have read that article - I just got a copy here courtesy of Dougie...
I'd like to clarify a couple of points that Sgt Dan Harmer made that I personally disagree with reference the photographing of casualties...
I make it a point to explain as carefully as I can to the troops I'm (in effect) embedded with that it's part of my job to photograph casualties, both insurgent and coalition forces - think to the footage of WW1, WW2, Korea and Vietnam, as well as Gulf wars 1 & 2...however distasteful and upsetting that might be...
If we never photographed casualties, we would paint a false image of the conflict and future generations might be forgiven in thinking that this was a realtively bloodless affair due to the lack of photographic evidence to the contrary if we never took images of dead or injured soldiers...

Dan also states that '...Photoshop is only ever used to remove dust-spots...' not so...
We carry out what I often refer to here as 'normal darkroom practice' - colour-balance, levels adjustment, lightening, darkening selective areas, maybe some vignetting for artistic effect and sharpening if required.
The file-naming protocols we use reflect the amount of post-production used:
R = RAW - either JPEG high or raw/NEF, but untouched.
E = Enhanced - PP applied as explained above.
M = Manipulated - additional layer effects such as high contrast B&W layers applied for that super-contrasty gritty feel

But then I also notice that Dan still shoots on aperture-priority instead of doing it 'properly' on manual... :D for which I and the other Combat Camera guys out here now will be giving him suitable amounts of grief later...lol

Both I and Staff-Sergeant Matt Woodhouse manage to shoot everything in Manual in combat and get decently-framed and exposed images...(and there were precious few actual combat images in the AP article as well, most were training-images, stuff taken in Camp Bastion- about as dangerous as Longmoor Training Area and vehicle moves - all very nice, but...).
If Don McCullin and Larry Burroughs could do it - so should I be able to - so should any of us...
 
I read the article and thought it sounded at odds with what you've posted. Thanks for the clarification.

Mike
 
You are right about the casualty pictures, Rob.
Don't want war sanitised. Much of what is shown of precision weapons in use is already made to look like a video game.
 
can we view this article online anywhere?
nice to see you mention two of my favourite photographers i just hope you dont end up as disturbed as don by your experience.
i agree on the casulties its actually easier to not show them, it takes courage to do the full job with sympathy.
sorry disagree on the ap its the results that count.
 
straycat said:
can we view this article online anywhere?
nice to see you mention two of my favourite photographers i just hope you dont end up as disturbed as don by your experience.
i agree on the casulties its actually easier to not show the, it takes courage to do the full job with sympathy.
sorry disagree on the ap its the results that count.
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Doubt if you will find it online. It was a feature in Amateur Photographer mag.
 
as an aside .....didn't read the article
but just recently looked at "Vietnam" - B&W photography book by Eddie Adams. Brilliant

although sometimes horrific, sometimes poignant, he conveyed a true picture of war - and I saw nothing wrong or improper showing the battles casualties on both sides

The photographer was merely "there" - being a good one helped record the hopes and the tragedies
 
straycat said:
thanks if its this weeks? i will go and look for a copy later.
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No, it's not this weeks. I forget exactly what one it was (be 2 or 3 weeks ago). I sent it to Rob.
If he still has it he'll tell you the date. You should be able to get a back issue from AP.
 
Arkady said:
the AP article as well, most were training-images, stuff taken in Camp Bastion- about as dangerous as Longmoor Training Area and vehicle moves - all very nice, but...).
If Don McCullin and Larry Burroughs could do it - so should I be able to - so should any of us...
Click to expand...

I once got caught on some brambles while on my bike out on Longmoor, don't underestimate the place, it's a jungle out there :D
 
i had some happy times amongst the ferns on longmoor doing section attacks and the like :thinking:
 
I havent read the article, but made note of the points you made on file naming protocol (being new to digital photography). If you have a link Id love to read it. I fully agree about your comment regarding photographing casualties.
People would forget the horrors of war if they didnt see evidence.
Thanks :)
 
DiddyDave said:
Are his shots suffering for being taken in AP mode then??? :shrug:

DD
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No, but he will be - it's not how we're taught. You control the camera and by extension, the images - not the other way round.
Any automation means that you delegate a further amount of control to the software rather than controlling it all yourself.

I'm not going to argue this point further as there are as many opinions as to what's 'right' as there are settings on the cameras we use.
 
Arkady said:
No, but he will be - it's not how we're taught. You control the camera and by extension, the images - not the other way round.
Any automation means that you delegate a further amount of control to the software rather than controlling it all yourself.

I'm not going to argue this point further as there are as many opinions as to what's 'right' as there are settings on the cameras we use.
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So it's an army thing to shoot manually then - fair enough

Does that apply to the guns too :naughty::naughty::naughty:

DD
 
I was thinking about you while reading the article. Quite a few things that were said made me wonder if it was true, however, I should laugh because in this weeks mag there are 2 letters from Navy photographers complaining that in the article it says they no longer take combat shots on land.

The answer to one made me laugh, it was something along the lines of "but we all know that the army forget about the navy, until they need a lift!"

It also seemed that a few of the shots were posed, good none the less.

All it did though is make me want to join the logistics core more, missus wasn't happy about it :( Although, I know the chances of getting in combat camera team are slim :(
 
While it's true that the Royal Navy no longer supply complete Combat Camera Teams, they do regularly deploy to theatre in a photographic capacity 'inside the wire'; that is Camp Bastion and the larger Forward Operating Bases, which are very secure - more so than Basrah-COB was 2 years ago, in fact.

Right now, my mate LA(Phot) Nick Crusham, RN is out here from the Defence Media Operations Centre, where he works, as an additional 'shooter' for the upcoming 'Big Push'... he'll be covering 'inside' jobs while we Army types all go out with the fighting troops and get shot at.

I personally have nothing but praise for the RN - my grandfather was a CPO Stoker during WW2 and was decorated for gallantry and also got a commander's commendation from the Kriegsmarine for an act of bravery in rescuing trapped German sailors on a sinking ship.

Also since a RN Sea King came and got us out during a bad thunderstorm in Northern Ireland many, many years ago when all other helicopters were grounded, I also have nothing but admiration for Navy pilots...
Though I would question their claim to being the Senior Service - to me that's merely an old brand of bad cigarettes and besides which, they're down to two canoes and a coracle these days...

As to the RAF...well who cares - they'll be privatised soon enough and good riddance.
 
ROFL! :D

Was going to be in the RAF myself at 18, pilot scholarship, but changed my mind, it's daft but the recruiter seemed to posh for me, asking my about my 'rugga' (rugby etc). Army always appealed more :)

Do you get many civvie's/media over there? have you ever had any tag along with you?
 
I read the articel in the S/Times yesterday.
Did you take the pic of the Chinook with the soldiers in the foreground, Rob?
 
arclight said:
I read the articel in the S/Times yesterday.
Did you take the pic of the Chinook with the soldiers in the foreground, Rob?
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Nope - all that effort for nothing - I'll be having a word - there's no point giving a reporter exclusive images if they don't use them - I'll be making them available to the Agencies in future.
 
Arkady said:
Nope - all that effort for nothing - I'll be having a word - there's no point giving a reporter exclusive images if they don't use them - I'll be making them available to the Agencies in future.
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Yes, especially when you get shot at in the process.

Not a great shot anyhow. Rear rotor was cut off as were the soldiers below the knees.:lol:
 
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