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July 15, 1998 I don't do wars... My husband and I were at a party last weekend. In attendance were people from the news gathering community, including an editor for a wire service and several still and video photographers, who work for an international daily and an international broadcast network. They've covered everything in the last 20 years from the Olympics to presidents, Popes and princes, famine and conflagrations on just about every continent. I was in awe while listening to their stories, which were both funny and frightening. They talked of having to carry around multiple passports. If they've worked in Israel, for example, and have to go to Iraq, they need passports in which there are no stamps or visas from Israel, because most Muslim countries will not let you in if your passport indicates you've been to Israel. One fellow described how he carries around $10,000 US dollars, hidden in his camera and in various places on his person, in case he finds himself in a bind, caught by some militant faction where he might have to offer money in exchange for his safety. Another told of an altercation in Somalia years ago between two technicals, the self appointed media guards, over who was to guard another photographer. One technical simply shot the other one dead, right then and there and said: "Now I'm guarding you." On a lighter note, while driving along a country road, one of the photographers had accidentally hit and killed a goat. He instructed his interpreter to indicate to the shepherd that he would pay for the goat; photog became impatient at the length of the negotiations, considering $300 a fair sum for the goat. The amount wasn't at issue. The problem was, since the photographer had PAID for the dead goat, the shepherd wanted him to HAVE the dead goat. And of course, expense account stories...One photographer got tired of explaining to the bean counters, his usually well documented expenses. One day he submitted an expense for a couple hundred dollars for P.A.C.R.---and got paid without question. "P.A.C.R?" we asked. "Yep," he said, "Pissed away and can't remember," and nobody ever questioned it. I have to admit I was a bit envious knowing I probably won't ever cover the hot spots of the world. There are times I've fantasized about doing this kind of work but the reality is...would I really trade a domestic fracas (i.e. life with two teenagers) for an international, potentially life threatening coup d'etat? Perhaps in another lifetime; I've already had my share of life- threatening. This is so far removed from what I do everyday; it's a different job altogether. One of my assignments early the following morning was to do art for a story on the pigeon problem underneath the subway tracks at Broadway and 231st Street. Talk about deflation! For now, I'll have to be content with relating my Pope story...when the head of Papal security threw me out of the venue for standing in the wrong place. Now, if only I'd thought of offering him a C-note! Susan Markisz, July 15,1998
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Susan
Markisz
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Contributor
since 1998
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Behind
the Viewfinder - A Year in the Life of Photojournalism |
