[dosdan]

Since this is an international forum, does anyone have photos actually taken in a war or conflict area, not as a war correspondent, but as a soldier or civilian?

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Last edited by dosdan; 06-08-2008 at 04:13 AM.

[Tom S.]

Does that include Christmas shopping?

[ftpaddict]

Does that include Christmas shopping?

I haven't laughed so hard in AGES!

[dosdan]

The reason I asked was I supposed that shots of people taken under such harrowing conditions would contain a poignancy and veracity that you normally wouldn't see under normal conditions (except perhaps after a natural disaster).

[dosdan]

Thank God, that for most of us, Christmas Shopping will be the most conflict we encounter in our lives.

I'm interested in the photo-journalism aspect of war photography, but want to see stuff that didn't come from a pro.

[PDL]

Check out MediaStorm: A Multimedia Production Studio Founded by Brian Storm - Photojournalism, Photography, Video, Audio, Storytelling These guys are Pros - but they do have independent links to non-pros. One of the best presentations of multimedia was edited by the primary instructor at the Photo Workshop I attended in 2005 - he was the producer for this project through MediaStorm. Reuters : Bearing Witness

There are blogs out there with entries by soldiers in Iraq, some from the Balken conflicts. There is an article in the lastest NG about the photographer/reported being captured in Darfur. There is this too; Interment of the Fallen Four - The Digital Journalist how the friends of 4 photographers who went down in a chopper in Laos in 1971 were recovered and brought home. The images of the war are quite good.

I think sites like CNN and MSNBC have links to images made by soldiers in the field.

The Elitist - formerly known as PDL

[dosdan]

Check out MediaStorm: A Multimedia Production Studio Founded by Brian Storm - Photojournalism, Photography, Video, Audio, Storytelling

A fine set of docos. Of the war related, I liked "Evidence of My Existence" & "The Marlboro Marine" the best. Of the non-war docos, I liked "Kingsley's Crossing" the best, but "It Ain't Television... It's Brain Surgery" & "Love in the First Person" were very impressive too.

Haven't had a chance to go to the blogs yet.

Would still like to see some amateur photos though.

[mr.voigtlander]

A fine set of docos. Of the war related, I liked "Evidence of My Existence" & "The Marlboro Marine" the best. Of the non-war docos, I liked "Kingsley's Crossing" the best, but "It Ain't Television... It's Brain Surgery" & "Love in the First Person" were very impressive too.

Haven't had a chance to go to the blogs yet.

Would still like to see some amateur photos though.

best place to start would be to look at WWI era photos. You will find lots of amateurs taking photos - but not with 35mm SLRs obviously.

[PDL]

I don't think you are going to find many places where combat images were taken by soldiers - other than those taken by combat photographers. By combat photographers, I mean soldiers who's task it was to take images. Most of the time when in combat, everyone is trying to stay alive rather than shoot pictures or capture the "moment". Some photographers were either assigned to operations or in WWII they were drafted into the services just to get images - but it was their job. Most of the images that I have seen that were taken by your everyday soldier are of the rear areas or during times when combat is not on everyone's mind. I would imagine that during combat you put the camera down and pick up your weapon. That is why I listed the Digital Journalist and Reuters articles, it is just very difficult to find candid images take by soldiers during combat.

As for the articles I listed - the series of images in the Rueters presentation is the most difficult for me to view, especially the image with the Canon 5D laying on the ground covered in blood. Those images were all taken by Iraqi photojournalists, since western PJ's would be kidnaped/shot on site. That article was produced through MediaStorm by the lead instructor of a NG photoworkshop I took in 2005. Here is another link into his site on that issue: bob sacha scroll down to the second offering from March 17th to see a trailer.

The Elitist - formerly known as PDL

[Tom S.]

Actually, you might try ebay (boo, hiss). One of my 'other' hobbies is WWII armor, and you often see a lot of non-professional photos on there, especially from Europe. If there are shots there from WWII, there may be photos from other conflicts too. Of course you don't have to buy them just to view them.

[squarerigger]

Not sure if this would be of interest to you but 26th Marines - Home has a few shots from the Viet Nam era. I was a rifleman in this unit and for awhile I carried a very small minolta 16mm camera and shot a few black and white photos. Unfortunately they along with my memory are fading. By the way, the camera died a horrible death.

[Greg Wilson]

I carried a Kodak Instamatic in my front pouch during my tour of VietNam.
I used a small 35mm when not on operations.
I took well over 500 slides, but the limitations of the instamatic, and at most times the poor light conditions saw a high level of duds.
And as a novice amateur there was not much thought put into it.....just what seemed interesting at the time, and just more of a memento of my free overseas trip
Sadly my slides sat in a shoe box for 38 years, and a lot have deteriorated. I only scanned them to digital last year, and have only got around to editing a few that are shown on my Fotopic page shown in my profile, but they not the type of photo that I think you are after.

[nathancombs]

I don't think you are going to find many places where combat images were taken by soldiers - other than those taken by combat photographers. By combat photographers, I mean soldiers who's task it was to take images. Most of the time when in combat, everyone is trying to stay alive rather than shoot pictures or capture the "moment". Some photographers were either assigned to operations or in WWII they were drafted into the services just to get images - but it was their job. Most of the images that I have seen that were taken by your everyday soldier are of the rear areas or during times when combat is not on everyone's mind. I would imagine that during combat you put the camera down and pick up your weapon. That is why I listed the Digital Journalist and Reuters articles, it is just very difficult to find candid images take by soldiers during combat.

As for the articles I listed - the series of images in the Rueters presentation is the most difficult for me to view, especially the image with the Canon 5D laying on the ground covered in blood. Those images were all taken by Iraqi photojournalists, since western PJ's would be kidnaped/shot on site. That article was produced through MediaStorm by the lead instructor of a NG photoworkshop I took in 2005. Here is another link into his site on that issue: bob sacha scroll down to the second offering from March 17th to see a trailer.

The Elitist - formerly known as PDL

i think that that has changed look on you tube.

on most of the wars ect... up un till now it was dear mom and dad to day we where morterd and a sniper shot at us. then we where in a firer fight .

NOW it is HAY mom dad LOOK there is a sniper shooting at us and look at thows morters comming in and LOOK i hooked my iphone to my rifle so you can seen all the bad guys i shoot.

yes my friends the iphone is replacing Nikon on the battle feald

YouTube - U.S. Army Soldiers Battle Insurgents In Iraq

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx8B7Dszbco

we have NEVER at any time bean able to pull up so much of a war in our homes. there is a video that i could not find of some Humvee getting ambushed the solger on his .50 and his video recorder next to him he starts causing up a storm (understandably) and at the end he sad "sorry mom".

[dosdan]

Regarding soldier photos, I didn't necessarily mean shots taken while they was fighting. Rather shots of the place & people in non-combat situations.

[Greg Wilson]

Well the offer was there to view some of mine.