Combat Photographer Tells All

RXrenesis8 · 07-03-2011, 10:17 PM

Originally posted by hillerby

Any comments or critique will be welcomed!

You've got quite the contrast between the entire first row of smiling happy people, and the bottom row with the kid lamenting his decision. Is this good or bad? I dunno, it confuses me.

hillerby · 07-04-2011, 08:40 AM

Well, I finally located the "GOLD MINE" (pictures I'd thought lost). I just finished sorting thru some of the photos I recently found and thought I'd get few posted today.

Me and My Slouch Hat: This is a shot one of my team mates got of me as we were getting ready to go out on an operation with the Royal Australian Infantry. The slouch hat is a dead giveaway to me as I'd traded something with one of the Aussie's for the hat. I really wanted his "digger hat", but he'd not part with that at all. The other interesting thing in this shot is that I'm carryin' two different styles of fragmentation grenades. One of the new type and an older pineapple style.
On this particular operation, I was carrying my issued Pentax and probably a Practicamat (personal camera).

Chopper Maintenance at Dusk: I grabbed this shot just as the sun was setting behind the men working. No tripod, so a field expedient was probably used. When in the field, we had minimal resources availabe in terms of equipment so we learned to use whatever was at hand (field expedient). It was common to fix a bayonet to your rifle, stick it in the ground and rest the camera upon the butt of the rifle. Sometimes, I'd simply rest the camera upon a vehicle, sandbag, or sometimes, my buddies head or shoulder. By doing so, you can get acceptable long exposure times even though a tripod is unavalable.

M42 "Duster" in silouhette: The M42 Duster was an outdated piece of equipment normally used for anti-aircraft missions. In Vietnam however, they were employed against ground targets. I thought this photo a strange contradiction to the fact that an instrument of death and destruction could make a beautiful Vietnamese sunset into an interesting photo. The sunsets in the highlands were absolutely gorgeous. The brightly colored sun, settling below the distant mountain tops in a mist that gave the light a beautiful glow. As with many of these photos, age has discolored and faded them, but I think ya'll can see what I'm talkin' bout here.

A Single Flower is a Thing of Beauty: I was always surprised that I could find a thing of beauty amidst the death, agony, and hardship of life in a war zone. In this shot, I'd seen some beautiful tropical flowers blooming at our small patrol base one afternoon. I thought it was so pretty amidst all the drab green of the sandbags and canvas tents and decided I'd pick it and get a shot of it. Still life photography has never been something I've done much of, so this is a rather plain shot. The interesting thing to me about this shot is that another field expedient (of sorts) was used for this. With no lights, backgrounds, tables or other elaborate props I located a spot on the sandbag bunker where the light was filtering thru the jungle canopy overhead. By using that natural light and some very careful consideration for which shutter speed, f/stop combination would be appropriate, I managed to come up with this. Fortunately, the shot came out exactly as I'd envisioned it in the beginning ............. a beautifully exposed flower against a solid dark background.

That's bout' all I've got time for this morning, so I'll get more scans done and post them up later.

**ChipB** · 07-04-2011, 08:50 AM

The first picture aside

, I've always found it rather amazing how something of beauty can be found amid the worlds chaos.

Once again, thanks Bob!!

EyeSpy · 07-04-2011, 09:12 AM

Everytime I stumble upon your posts and begin to read I start to tear up. And on this particular day I wish to say once again: Thank You for Your Service to our country. And thank you for your service to this forum. God Bless you and yours.

adr1an · 07-04-2011, 03:19 PM

Bob: nice pics as always..

Just wanted to give you a heads up tho, that first picture isnt a slouch hat
Its just a "Bash Cap" or "Bush Hat". The *slouch* Hat looks like this:

It is still warn today, however, the upturned side is only reserved for Ceremonial duties now - it was originally upturned back in the .303 and earlier days a shouldered rifle with bayonet affixed would knock the guys cap off next to you... It also features the "Rising Sun" emblem on the upturned portion... The Army and Air Force wear them, with different Puggaree (the cloth band) for the Services/Unit. Above pic is the 'generic' Army one...

The Bush Hat you're wearing tho, is the traditional 'field dress' of the Aussies.. Designed to effectively 'break up' your sillouhette or pattern in the field... (since no bush hat looked the same as any other bush hat...)
Didn't mean to be picky - but the slouchie is a very important symbol to us Aussies and dates back to the Light Horse Brigade in the late 1800's!! (The Bush Hat is too - but isn't quite as revered symbology as the Slouchie

)

Looking forward to more pics and the book eventually !!

**pacerr** · 07-04-2011, 06:38 PM

Originally posted by hillerby

. . . field expedient . . .

I'm surprised no 'field expedient' was used to cover the chrome camera body while in the field.

I've got a "civilian" SP that one of the Navy photo guys "blackened" for me while they were doin' some of their gear in the PI. Certainly not because I had need of camo in a Navy cockpit but it seemed sort of "business-like" at the time and he offered.

H2

hillerby · 07-05-2011, 06:04 AM

Originally posted by adr1an

Bob: nice pics as always..

Just wanted to give you a heads up tho, that first picture isnt a slouch hat
Its just a "Bash Cap" or "Bush Hat". The *slouch* Hat looks like this:

It is still warn today, however, the upturned side is only reserved for Ceremonial duties now - it was originally upturned back in the .303 and earlier days a shouldered rifle with bayonet affixed would knock the guys cap off next to you... It also features the "Rising Sun" emblem on the upturned portion... The Army and Air Force wear them, with different Puggaree (the cloth band) for the Services/Unit. Above pic is the 'generic' Army one...

The Bush Hat you're wearing tho, is the traditional 'field dress' of the Aussies.. Designed to effectively 'break up' your sillouhette or pattern in the field... (since no bush hat looked the same as any other bush hat...)
Didn't mean to be picky - but the slouchie is a very important symbol to us Aussies and dates back to the Light Horse Brigade in the late 1800's!! (The Bush Hat is too - but isn't quite as revered symbology as the Slouchie

)

Looking forward to more pics and the book eventually !!

I'm certainly glad I've got some "Aussie's" keeping me straight here. The "Slouch Hat" is what I wanted to trade the guy for .... but he wouldn't budge on that! So I settled for the "Bush Hat" in the photo".
I always thought that "Slouch Hat" was really cool!. But those Aussie's can get pretty hardheaded about parting with it.

wjt · 07-06-2011, 05:10 AM

Thanks for the continual updates Bob, I enjoy coming back to this thread periodically to catch up on your posts.

**ChipB** · 10-24-2011, 10:01 AM

Bob, been awhile since we've heard anything from you - just wanted you to know that there's still a lot of interest in your continueing story - and pics!!

NKK · 10-24-2011, 11:52 AM

Hi, i would like if you would keep this thread alive too

enjoy the pictures and information you provide along with the pictures.
How is it going with your project? Anything new on that?

hillerby · 10-25-2011, 02:57 PM - **1 Like**

Just an update to let ya'll know I've not given up yet. The past few months have been pretty hectic. When Dan and I started the book project, I had no idea how big a project it would turn out to be.
I've been sorting, cataloging, and scanning pix for the book as well as the writing. Now that I've got all the photos sorted and grouped, I'll be posting more of them. The writing is an altogether different thing however, it's REAL WORK sometimes.
We hope to have the thing finished sometime this next year.
I sincerely appreciate everyone's interest in this thread and I will continue to post as long as there is an interest.
Thanks again to everyone.

**Jack** · 10-25-2011, 05:18 PM

There's definitely an interest. Good luck with the book and look forward to your posts.

**yucatanPentax** · 10-27-2011, 09:50 PM

Just to echo that there is much interest in seeing more of your photos and the book concept as well.
Thanks for sharing your story with all of us. Much appreciated!

Gashog · 11-02-2011, 04:55 AM

Hey Bob
I can appreciate how you must have felt when you found the last couple slides.
Hopefully, you'll stumble upon a few more.
Thanks again for sharing them with us. Good luck with the book!

rworegon · 11-07-2011, 11:31 AM

Bob,

I just today ran across this thread and I have wasted most of the morning at work reading through about half of it. First let me add to the throngs saying "thank you for your service." Further, thank you for your courage to relive through images and narratives your experiences of those years. I know how hard it is for veterans of that era to talk as openly as you have. I am too young to have served in that conflict but had friends who did. I am happy you have decided to pursue the book project. Keep up the good work and thank you for sharing with us.

07-04-2011, 08:40 AM	#452
hillerby Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Sherman Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 224 Original Poster	Pictures and HOW you shoot them. Well, I finally located the "GOLD MINE" (pictures I'd thought lost). I just finished sorting thru some of the photos I recently found and thought I'd get few posted today. Me and My Slouch Hat: This is a shot one of my team mates got of me as we were getting ready to go out on an operation with the Royal Australian Infantry. The slouch hat is a dead giveaway to me as I'd traded something with one of the Aussie's for the hat. I really wanted his "digger hat", but he'd not part with that at all. The other interesting thing in this shot is that I'm carryin' two different styles of fragmentation grenades. One of the new type and an older pineapple style. On this particular operation, I was carrying my issued Pentax and probably a Practicamat (personal camera). Chopper Maintenance at Dusk: I grabbed this shot just as the sun was setting behind the men working. No tripod, so a field expedient was probably used. When in the field, we had minimal resources availabe in terms of equipment so we learned to use whatever was at hand (field expedient). It was common to fix a bayonet to your rifle, stick it in the ground and rest the camera upon the butt of the rifle. Sometimes, I'd simply rest the camera upon a vehicle, sandbag, or sometimes, my buddies head or shoulder. By doing so, you can get acceptable long exposure times even though a tripod is unavalable. M42 "Duster" in silouhette: The M42 Duster was an outdated piece of equipment normally used for anti-aircraft missions. In Vietnam however, they were employed against ground targets. I thought this photo a strange contradiction to the fact that an instrument of death and destruction could make a beautiful Vietnamese sunset into an interesting photo. The sunsets in the highlands were absolutely gorgeous. The brightly colored sun, settling below the distant mountain tops in a mist that gave the light a beautiful glow. As with many of these photos, age has discolored and faded them, but I think ya'll can see what I'm talkin' bout here. A Single Flower is a Thing of Beauty: I was always surprised that I could find a thing of beauty amidst the death, agony, and hardship of life in a war zone. In this shot, I'd seen some beautiful tropical flowers blooming at our small patrol base one afternoon. I thought it was so pretty amidst all the drab green of the sandbags and canvas tents and decided I'd pick it and get a shot of it. Still life photography has never been something I've done much of, so this is a rather plain shot. The interesting thing to me about this shot is that another field expedient (of sorts) was used for this. With no lights, backgrounds, tables or other elaborate props I located a spot on the sandbag bunker where the light was filtering thru the jungle canopy overhead. By using that natural light and some very careful consideration for which shutter speed, f/stop combination would be appropriate, I managed to come up with this. Fortunately, the shot came out exactly as I'd envisioned it in the beginning ............. a beautifully exposed flower against a solid dark background. That's bout' all I've got time for this morning, so I'll get more scans done and post them up later. Attached Images

07-04-2011, 03:19 PM	#455
adr1an Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Canberra Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 739	Bob: nice pics as always.. Just wanted to give you a heads up tho, that first picture isnt a slouch hat Its just a "Bash Cap" or "Bush Hat". The slouch Hat looks like this: It is still warn today, however, the upturned side is only reserved for Ceremonial duties now - it was originally upturned back in the .303 and earlier days a shouldered rifle with bayonet affixed would knock the guys cap off next to you... It also features the "Rising Sun" emblem on the upturned portion... The Army and Air Force wear them, with different Puggaree (the cloth band) for the Services/Unit. Above pic is the 'generic' Army one... The Bush Hat you're wearing tho, is the traditional 'field dress' of the Aussies.. Designed to effectively 'break up' your sillouhette or pattern in the field... (since no bush hat looked the same as any other bush hat...) Didn't mean to be picky - but the slouchie is a very important symbol to us Aussies and dates back to the Light Horse Brigade in the late 1800's!! (The Bush Hat is too - but isn't quite as revered symbology as the Slouchie ) Looking forward to more pics and the book eventually !! Last edited by adr1an; 07-04-2011 at 03:24 PM.

10-25-2011, 02:57 PM - 1 Like	#461
hillerby Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Sherman Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 224 Original Poster	I'm still in here! Just an update to let ya'll know I've not given up yet. The past few months have been pretty hectic. When Dan and I started the book project, I had no idea how big a project it would turn out to be. I've been sorting, cataloging, and scanning pix for the book as well as the writing. Now that I've got all the photos sorted and grouped, I'll be posting more of them. The writing is an altogether different thing however, it's REAL WORK sometimes. We hope to have the thing finished sometime this next year. I sincerely appreciate everyone's interest in this thread and I will continue to post as long as there is an interest. Thanks again to everyone.

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07-03-2011, 10:17 PM	#451
RXrenesis8 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Orlando, FL (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 523	Originally posted by hillerby Any comments or critique will be welcomed! You've got quite the contrast between the entire first row of smiling happy people, and the bottom row with the kid lamenting his decision. Is this good or bad? I dunno, it confuses me.

07-04-2011, 08:50 AM	#453
ChipB Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Eau Claire, WI Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,701	The first picture aside , I've always found it rather amazing how something of beauty can be found amid the worlds chaos. Once again, thanks Bob!!

07-04-2011, 09:12 AM	#454
EyeSpy Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Arizona Photos: Albums Posts: 663	Everytime I stumble upon your posts and begin to read I start to tear up. And on this particular day I wish to say once again: Thank You for Your Service to our country. And thank you for your service to this forum. God Bless you and yours.

07-04-2011, 06:38 PM	#456
pacerr Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Paris, TN Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,349	Originally posted by hillerby . . . field expedient . . . I'm surprised no 'field expedient' was used to cover the chrome camera body while in the field. I've got a "civilian" SP that one of the Navy photo guys "blackened" for me while they were doin' some of their gear in the PI. Certainly not because I had need of camo in a Navy cockpit but it seemed sort of "business-like" at the time and he offered. H2

07-05-2011, 06:04 AM	#457
hillerby Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Sherman Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 224 Original Poster	Originally posted by adr1an Bob: nice pics as always.. Just wanted to give you a heads up tho, that first picture isnt a slouch hat Its just a "Bash Cap" or "Bush Hat". The slouch Hat looks like this: It is still warn today, however, the upturned side is only reserved for Ceremonial duties now - it was originally upturned back in the .303 and earlier days a shouldered rifle with bayonet affixed would knock the guys cap off next to you... It also features the "Rising Sun" emblem on the upturned portion... The Army and Air Force wear them, with different Puggaree (the cloth band) for the Services/Unit. Above pic is the 'generic' Army one... The Bush Hat you're wearing tho, is the traditional 'field dress' of the Aussies.. Designed to effectively 'break up' your sillouhette or pattern in the field... (since no bush hat looked the same as any other bush hat...) Didn't mean to be picky - but the slouchie is a very important symbol to us Aussies and dates back to the Light Horse Brigade in the late 1800's!! (The Bush Hat is too - but isn't quite as revered symbology as the Slouchie ) Looking forward to more pics and the book eventually !! I'm certainly glad I've got some "Aussie's" keeping me straight here. The "Slouch Hat" is what I wanted to trade the guy for .... but he wouldn't budge on that! So I settled for the "Bush Hat" in the photo". I always thought that "Slouch Hat" was really cool!. But those Aussie's can get pretty hardheaded about parting with it.

07-06-2011, 05:10 AM	#458
wjt Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Perth Photos: Albums Posts: 371	Thanks for the continual updates Bob, I enjoy coming back to this thread periodically to catch up on your posts.

10-24-2011, 10:01 AM	#459
ChipB Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Eau Claire, WI Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,701	Bob, been awhile since we've heard anything from you - just wanted you to know that there's still a lot of interest in your continueing story - and pics!!

10-24-2011, 11:52 AM	#460
NKK Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Malmö, Sweden Photos: Gallery Posts: 583	Hi, i would like if you would keep this thread alive too enjoy the pictures and information you provide along with the pictures. How is it going with your project? Anything new on that?

10-25-2011, 05:18 PM	#462
Jack Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Georgia Photos: Gallery Posts: 197	There's definitely an interest. Good luck with the book and look forward to your posts.

10-27-2011, 09:50 PM	#463
yucatanPentax Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Dallas / Yucatan Posts: 1,839	Just to echo that there is much interest in seeing more of your photos and the book concept as well. Thanks for sharing your story with all of us. Much appreciated!

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11-02-2011, 04:55 AM	#464
Gashog Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: NY Photos: Albums Posts: 523	Hey Bob I can appreciate how you must have felt when you found the last couple slides. Hopefully, you'll stumble upon a few more. Thanks again for sharing them with us. Good luck with the book!

11-07-2011, 11:31 AM	#465
rworegon Inactive Account Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Oregon Posts: 116	Bob, I just today ran across this thread and I have wasted most of the morning at work reading through about half of it. First let me add to the throngs saying "thank you for your service." Further, thank you for your courage to relive through images and narratives your experiences of those years. I know how hard it is for veterans of that era to talk as openly as you have. I am too young to have served in that conflict but had friends who did. I am happy you have decided to pursue the book project. Keep up the good work and thank you for sharing with us.