Originally posted by ramseybuckeye Keep up the good work! Godspeed
Thank you!
Originally posted by jpzk I've taken a liking to follow your "updates" which I find most interesting from a layman point of view, i.e.: non-military. The documentary aspect of the images is obvious and all in good taste, albeit in a very tense and dangerous zone. This is so much different from what they, the media, show us on T.V.; to me, it really shows the "life" around the place, rather than the "death" which is the chosen scoop of the TV moguls.
I appreciate the interest
It was my intent to try to document the War through my eyes and make it as intimate and uncensored as possible (without posting anything classified/sensitive). It seems I am meeting that intent, so I will chalk that up as a success
The issue that I have with the media is the unbelievable bias they portray. And not necessarily bias towards conservative or liberal lines, but rather towards the sensational. 50+ killed from a bomb in Kabul is what will always make the papers, but the school that allows little girls their first taste of education their town has ever experienced will not. That bothers me. These are people too, and honestly, a lot of them have proven to be more genuine and appreciative than the entitled brats I am forced to call my countrymen. But you'll never see their appreciation, the Afghan soldiers that tell you, "Until every last drop of blood has been spilled from my body, I will fight the Taliban." This is the world we live in, and I find myself more and more idealistically detached from it everyday.
Quote: Your images are excellent, technically speaking, and represent the "real thing" out there; I am quite sure that you are holding on to a few "not work safe" images (read: nasty stuff). Which is just fine with me ! I am seeing enough violence in the media ... you instead bring the day-to-day life of military personnel, the daily activities of the locals ... things which we rarely see from that country.
Thank you for the criticism. One of the reasons that I got so into photography was that I was complimented many times on the pictures I took with crappy EasyShare P&S's during my travels - I was told that I had a natural eye for composition, which I am starting to believe. The next step for me, I feel, is to develop the technical skills needed in order to capture the image that I have in my head. This is proving to be much easier said than done. But it wouldn't be worth it to learn if it wasn't
Quote: Thanks for sharing ... very informative and cautiously enjoyable.
Cheers!
JP
P.S.: Did you guys get to see Obama at his "surprise visit" ?
Again, thank you very much for the compliments and motivation to continue providing these updates.
Regarding your closing question, no I did not get to see him. He never made it to the base that I am on, however some soldiers in my unit that were in a vehicle that was struck by an IED (all survived) recently were in the hospital the President visited and presented them with their combat decorations (Combat Action Badges and Purple Hearts).
-Heie