“I don’t want to be remembered as a war photographer, or even classified as one. I hate it.” So begins Don McCullin’s narration of a four-minute audiovisual show posted today by BCC News. McCullin finishes his frank, surprisingly personal reflections of the experience of photographing wars by saying:
“I didn’t feel bad about taking this picture because he and I were hit by the same mortar shell in an ambush in Nam Pen. This was his last plea for life. I’ve seen my own blood. I’ve seen their blood. I’ve felt pain. I’ve felt shock. I’ve had some of the experiences. I suppose I’m speaking as if I’m trying to exonerate myself.”
I am not sure what McCullin means by this last thought — that we might hear his words as if he were tying to exonerate himself.
I do know McCullin’s frank, emotional reflections are rare for photographers who have covered war — at least when talking in the public realm. Continue reading “Don McCullin Speaks Candidly About Photographing War”
