marcia’s musings

Sarajevans run for cover during shooting in 'Sniper Alley' by Tom Stoddart

I just read finished reading “Photojournalism: Developing Style in Creative Photography” edited by Terry Hope (RotoVision 2001).  Its a fantastic book for anyone that’s interested in the stories behind photos and the choices photographers have to make in the field.  It features beautiful black and white images by top photojournalists who write about how they approached their subject and the context, and highlight some of their key techniques.  Even for those not interested in being a photojournalist, there is something very engaging about knowing about the context of some photographs you might have already seen.

Among the photographers featured, I would highlight Dario Mitidieri for incredible creativity in the field, Bryn Campbell for showing the value of ‘local’ stories, and Marj Clayton for her portraits.  Many photos are featured from Tom Stoddart whose images are as fascinating as they are disturbing; in Sarajevo he lay down in the middle of ‘Sniper Alley’ and shot images of Bosnians running by trying to avoid Serbian snipers.

- London, UK, 1 degree celsius, sunny day, listening to “Future World Funk: On the Run”