Photojournalism Alive and Well, Photojournalists Not So Much

It's nice to see that a great photograph can still be truly arresting. As I was sorting through our mail earlier this week I found myself staring at the new Newsweek cover. It's a "quiet" shot, an expanse of mountain range in grainy black and white. But then, I think that's what struck me about it. It is so completely antithetical to the usual news-glossy cover fare. (Even with the all too common fear mongering of the headline "He's Still Out There. The Hunt for Bin Laden.") It was no surprise, thus, to discover the image had come from the skilled hands of Magnum photographer Paolo Pellegrin. I am pleasantly surprised, however, to see that Newsweek is plumbing such rich sources for images. Even without the threatening headline, this image conveys the vast and ominous nature of our Afghanistan involvement, embodied in the very land where it is taking place. And I have to applaud the magazine for trusting that its readers are savvy enough to get that from such a subtle picture--another pixelated blow-up of Bin Laden's face is the last thing we need.

Newsweek also deserves credit on a second front, for the inside pictures by John D. McHugh from Getty.

If it hadn't been for the cover shot, I never would have flipped to the story, illustrated deftly by McHugh, who embedded in April with the U.S. military in Afghanistan. And if it weren't for the poor reproduction quality of Newsweek's bible-thin paper, I wouldn't have ended up at the online photo gallery (I guess that paper is good for something). There I discovered a nice little write up about McHugh (more publications should give their photographers this courtesy) ending with this: "On May 14, five weeks into his embed, he was shot in the stomach during a firefight between insurgents and combined U.S.-Afghan troops. McHugh survived his wounds." Now I understand that war photographers run the risk of becoming casualties of the very conflict they are covering, but my initial gut reaction was, "Not another one!" Photojournalists of this caliber (and the caliber of Paolo Pellegrin) seem to be growing scarcer by the day. Of course their images will live on--that's part of what we find so magnetic about the medium--but is it so wrong to want the actual photographers to live on as well? I hope that McHugh has recovered fully. Any information about him will be appreciated.

~Miki Johnson

(Photo: © John D. McHugh/Getty Images, "A local Afghan watches American soldiers as they take a break from patrolling on April 17."/Courtesy Newsweek)

Comments

[David Azia]

John D will be giving a talk Thursday, Aug. 30, at the Frontline Club in London about his experiences in Afghanistan. There will be a live webcast of his talk at 1830 GMT.

http://www.frontlineclub.com/club_events.php?event=956

Also, his name is spelt John D without the full stop after the D - strange as it may seem!

[Laura Nathan]

Miki,

PDN did a story on McHugh's injury in May. You can read it at: http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/newswire/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003590103

[Laura Nathan]

http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/newswire/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003590103

[Laura Nathan]

Sorry--part of the URL keeps getting cut off. Click here.

[John D McHugh]

Hi Miki,
Just wanted to say thanks for the kind words. I'm delighted that my work has reached such a huge audience through Newsweek.
I haven't updated my blog since I was shot, but I am planning to resume very soon, and will start with a detailed story about the ambush and my shooting. If you're interested, check out blog.johndmchugh.com
As for my wounds, I am recovering well. I had my final surgery 6 or 7 weeks ago, and the doctors have told me I should be able to get back to work in a couple of months.
So, expect to see more of my work from Afghanistan as soon as possible!
John D

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