Conflict Zone Photographer

 

Conflict zone Photographer

            When I was young and very much fascinated with the photography, in those days there were no Institute of photography, so become a good photographer was to learn through trial and error method. I belong to the state capital of Bihar, Patna was in nascent stage and there were no other senior photographer who can teach photography. For this I joined a photography club (BAP) and learnt photography through some of the enthusiasts and armature photographers and at the same time I joined British Library where I was getting lot of photography books and periodicals one of them was Armature Photographer which was a Monthly and published in London and being a young person I was very much attracted with that magazine for attractive photos. And only in that magazine I came to know about conflict zone photographers such as Don McCullin, Larry Burrow. Their photography on war were eye-catching and telling, so in that way I came to know about Don McCullin  photographs on war and on human sufferings.

            Born in 1935 and in the days of 1953-1955 Don McCullin’s interest in photography sparked off during national service and when he got to work as assistant photographer during aerial reconnaissance in Royal Air Force. Gradually his interest in photography increased when one of his photographs of the conflict of the local gang lords of London published in a national daily news paper ‘The Observer’. So in this way he developed interest in Conflict zone photography which is also called War Photography who captures the telling images of intense war strife ridden area showing the human sufferings of the war.   

            All through his career he used different professional cameras but mostly he  liked the most rugged camera ‘Nikon F’ which also once saved his life in Combodia when a bullet hit him and the most of the burnt taken up  by that Nikon F camera and his life was saved. He was exiled in Vietnam War and incarcerated in Uganda, so being a daredevil person he roamed all around world as per the demand of his duties. He was branded as a controversial photographer as he showed other side of war the sufferings. In 2016 he was bestowed with Knight Wood by the Queen of Victoria and in this way he is called Sir Don McCullin now.  

Profusely I thanked my luck as one fine day in the November 1988 era of B/W, I was covering Sonpur Mela and Sir McCullin was also photographing the events was just behind me, I just turned my head back and saw him with great surprise then I just introduced myself and came to know that he left shooting human sufferings and nowadays taking pictures of nature and festivals all over the world. He also invited me to the place where he was staying when I reach there next day I saw he is washing cloths and I just clicked him.

Text  by-Ashok Karan,

Ashokkaran.blogspot.com,

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