[Leica] War Photographers

[mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)]

Its so excellent that people, photographers who have the talent to
communicate visually also have the ability sometimes to communicate
verbally.
Reading this I am just like all of you filled with feelings and emotions.
And am a changed person as a result of having read it.
And its not just writing out of the blue. But written by a person I know a
little bit over a few years. And a great man.
Its great  and important that  some of us photographers know how to write.
We leave a written record of ourselves as well as our prints, our work.
Pictures and words both.


-- 
Mark R.
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/lugalrabs/winterdays/


> From: Ted Grant <tedgrant at shaw.ca>
> Reply-To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
> Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:47:53 -0800
> To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
> Subject: Re: [Leica] War Photographers
> 
> Being a "War Photographer!"
> 
> WOW exciting can't wait to go!!!!!" Idiots who think like this will learn 
> it
> isn't like the Hollywood movies and some of the "fun read while in safe
> areas!" Or may die?
> I  unfortunately fell inline thinking being a "War Photographer" was neat! 
> :-(
> I swallowed the stories from WW2 about the few big names from there and a 
> few
> later conflicts. I was a trained officer in the Canadian Reserve Army as a
> "Zipperhead." A reference of those in the Armored Corp, Tanks, Armored Cars
> etc. So I had some idea of the sounds and smells from weapons in action.  
> BUT
> NOT BEING SHOT AT!!!!!!
> 
> My first war was 1967 Mid-East 6 Day War... Basically a no brainer 
> compared to
> the absolutely killings of the past several years and today.
> 
> If one is going to their first war...... "ONE SHOULD NEVER GO IF YOU 
> HAVEN'T
> BEEN!" Oh I know there'll be challenges about that comment! "If one is
> determined to go they should go with the Israelis' ! It starts on Monday 
> and
> over by Saturday and you're on a plane heading home on Sunday!"
> 
> But if you haven't been to any and commenting only from reading the stories
> we've just seen and or read about the "Big Name Shooters" during the past 
> 10
> years, Iraq, Afghanistan etc. or before then? Don't tell me somebody has 
> to do
> it! And you feel it's something you'd be just fine and can hardly wait to 
> get
> wherever a war might be going on as it needs to be shown!
> 
> Trust me the first few days, if yer lucky and you can time zone acclimatize
> for one thing before things are going bang bang... whizzz, whizzz all 
> around
> you. Or something goes really loud bang and you don't hear anything much 
> for
> the next three days.... then sounds begin to slightly return, only to 
> slowly
> find out you're going deaf simply because you were taking pictures and not
> putting your fingers in your ears before the "BIG GUNS FIRED A SALVO RIGHT
> BESIDE YOU!" Like nobody said... "Hey cover your ears we're about to start
> firing!" OOPS!!! :-(
> 
> Well 1967 wasn't bad, I believe only two photographers? I had befriended, 
> Paul
> Shutzer of LIFE on the first day I was in Tel Aviv. But he was killed the
> first night of battle. Yeah the half track he was photographing from took a
> direct hit and all died. The reporter he was working with was in a 
> different
> half track and survived. Paul's cameras were recovered I believe a week 
> later?
> And the film was eventually developed and OK with his very last pictures..
> 
> The second photographer, an Israeli, Ben Oyserman was shooting TV footage 
> on
> contract for the Canadian CBCTV and stills for his local Tel Aviv 
> newspaper.
> How close can one get to being killed? Mine?
> 
> I was about to go with Ben in his car and follow Israeli soldiers toward El
> Arish to the south. However my reporter had another location to the north, 
> so
> I went with him instead of Ben.
> 
> Arriving back in Tel Aviv late that evening. Apparently, the Ben tour came
> across a road block, the soldiers began to move it as Ben was filming their
> actions and.... "BOOM!!!!!!!!" 7 DEAD SOLDIERS AND ONE DEAD PHOTOGRAPHER! I
> saw his Nikon that had been hanging around his neck.....it was riddled and
> ripped with shrapnel fragments into his chest and head! Me?
> 
> I cried because we had become very good friends in a couple of days, 
> buddies
> in arms so to speak. Then the other side came pouring in! "I HAD BEEN 
> GETTING
> IN HIS CAR AND PROBABLY WOULD BE DEAD ALSO!" If not for the luck of the
> reporter taking me elsewhere! My wife would be a widow with four children 
> to
> continue looking after!
> 
> Got home like I'd just been away on some simple assignment.  Yep Ben's
> situation and nearly mine? Oh it comes back once in awhile. But even that
> didn't stop me from going to Viet Nam the next year, 1968....
> "HELL PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE SO STUPID AT TIMES THEY NEVER LEARN UNTIL THEY'RE
> DEAD!"
> 
> I wasn't there very long before it became quite apparent "this was a place 
> to
> get killed very quickly if you stayed around!" That was after one outing 
> into
> a battle situation! The 6 Day War? Compared to there? 1967 was a piece of 
> cake
> considering the amount of weapons firing encountered in 1968.
> 
> A first time confession.......... "I ran away from it and came home!" :-(
> Never told that openly before! :-( :-( I was 41, a husband and 4 children 
> all
> came pouring in! And "I ran away!" My guilt trip has always been and is to
> this day, I'm near sick telling this part of my career! "I ran away when so
> many who couldn't, died!"
> 
> Being a war photographer?????????? NEVER!! No matter all the "good glory
> stories Hollywood produces" And whatever glory stories written about the so
> called "Exciting times !" It' all bullshit!
> 
> This is the first time I have openly offered this side of my photo life 
> other
> than to a few friends who had been there and understand. I realize we have
> many American folks on the LUG family who were there. And I know they will
> understand. NEVER AGAIN! :-(
> 
> Dr. ted :-( 
> 
> 
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