The Pros And Cons Of War Photography

In order to do their best work, photojournalists gather a variety of tools and skills to capture war that do not ensure their safety. While today's war photography equipment is more light and compact, making it easier to carry, the job is still very dangerous. Being a photographer does not stop someone from encountering a roadside explosion, being shot at, or even bombed. Being a non-combat does not guarantee the photographer won't be a target or that accidents won’t be prevented from happening. However, this danger also makes war photography images “more powerful and tend to instill respect as well as emotion in the viewer. War photography is about displaying truth, chronicling life, and capturing emotion in times and places of unrest” (Duggan).
In an interview when asked to describe his career, Capa replied, “‘It's not always easy to stand aside and be unable to do anything except record the sufferings around one’”(Dean). Robert Capa understood the inescapable burdens of being a war photographer in order to bring this “other world” to life for people back home. Another photographer, Henri Cartier-Bresson, is considered to be the father of true photojournalism and master of candid photos. His most famous photos were shot in the midst of World War II and many of the recognizable and haunting photos of this war can be attributed to Bresson. When asked to explain how he felt about photography, Cartier-Bresson said “‘Memory is very important, the memory of each photo taken, flowing at the same speed as the event. During the work, you have to be sure that you haven't left any holes, that you've captured everything, because afterwards it will be too late’” (Dean). Once he retired Cartier-Bresson rarely used his camera and turned to drawing and painting because of the therapeutic effect it had on him. The nobility that is associated with war photographers derives from the dangers that are a part of this