PBS - Battle For Syria

Status
Not open for further replies.
Wow, that was unnerving to watch. I know some of those people. My experiences were scarily similar. Running in front of tanks, snipers everywhere. I have pieces of one of those rockets, from a rocket that came as close to killing me as ever want to get. This same routine was going on each and every day, for months. After 3 months of it, I had to leave. One thing that anyone experienced in urban, fluid combat will tell you is that the noise is very, very difficult to deal with eventually. You can't tell where anything is coming from due to the tightly packed buildings and their effect on the sounds. Stuff of serious stress.

Honestly I had a hard time watching it and I am sure it will erase all my psychiatrist's hard work over the past month.
 
raid said:
I watched it too. Iraqis have experienced far worse situations. Hundreds of thousands were killed, and millions who survived had to leave Iraq. I do not need a therapist, and most Iraqis did not see tberapists either.

I hope that the Saudi Arabia- Iran conflict can be resolved without creating such a human tragedy.
Click to expand...

I fear for the people in the region. I don't think many westerners know how close we are to a very ugly, regional disaster there.
 
Wow, serious change and direction went on here.

I would caution all who are painting this with such thick brush strokes, you are wildly off base and I would even suggest you are buying into the binary rhetoric that helps fuel these conflicts.

Raid, you never have to neuter what you say with me. I know where the things you are saying are coming from and all I can offer is my sincere apologies that we, the masses, haven't done anything to stop it. I wish you and your family well.
 
While the internet can provide instant access to a conflict and culture worlds away, it seems to most of all perpetuate stereotypes. How peaceful protest can be met with genocide leading to armed rebellion can be viewed as anything other than justified is beyond me.

An M9 used in the field is not impressive to me. Cool to see a photojournalist shooting a rangefinder in the field yes, but last I checked the M system was supposed to be robust.
 
emraphoto said:
I spent shy of 3 months living amongst some of the very people you are seeing. With the deepest respect I say you are way off base.
Click to expand...

John,
While you have been blessed to witness the truth up close, you may be paying the price with sleepless nights.
 
In terms of using a rangefinder in the field, (I haven't seen the video yet, and it's late here, so I'll be looking tomorrow) I think anyone choosing to use manual focus in that kind of environment is commentworthy.

I don't shoot in anything like those environments, the most I ever have to be on the look out for is the odd bottle or foot heading in my direction, but I know that I certainly wouldn't like to add in manual focussing to the things demanding attention. and I have huge respect for anyone who does.

There is a danger that viewing from the sidelines we can have an oversimplified view, and it's all too easy to write things off with broad strokes because of that. It's thanks to people like John that we get a view that's more relateable on a human level. Something we should be grateful that there are people willing to go out to places like that, and bring that view back.

It's also obvious that it takes a toll, hearing Don McCullen talk about his body of work, it's clear that as well as contributing to the world's understanding, it has taken a toll on him. It's one that's most often forgotten, because the "damage" ironically isn't so visible, in some ways it seems a much tougher subject to broach as well because of the non visible nature of it.

I just want to wish both John and Deejon the best in dealing with it, and recognise that it takes some bravery to be open about it.
 
I think I would still bring a MF camera so I could zone focus and not have to look through the viewfinder at the horror by shooting off the hip... I don't think I would want to look
 
I would be more concerned about my life, so that's why I want an AF so I can duck and run and still take sharp photos.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom