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Yeah, probably the 35mm, because I’m
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situations. You’ve got a lot of layers going
on in front of you and that 35mm lens is
perfect for me. I love the 50mm but even
when I’m using the 24-70mm I’m usually
working around the 35mm to 40mm a lot
of the time, because I’m right in the midst
of things. Also, harking back to the
medium format way of thinking,
I’m trying to place people in their
environment, so even if it’s the person
who is the focus of your picture, you
want to show where they are and show
the landscape they’re working in.+DYH\RXEHHQLQDVLWXDWLRQ
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For sure. It’s happened in situations with
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moment; they’ve lost someone and you’re
there on the scene, or you get pushed into
this moment because you’re there, that’s
your job. I’ve had times where I just felt it
was too much to take that picture.7RRLQWUXVLYH"
To invade on people’s privacy to that
extent, so I’m constantly trying to gauge
whether the people in front of me really
want to be photographed. Of course,
I’m not going around asking everyone
because you can’t when you’re workingin these situations, but you’re trying to
gauge what people’s reactions are to
having you there, without really saying
anything. The only time I haven’t taken a
picture is when I have got the impression
that it was wrong for me to be there and I
didn’t want to intrude to that extra
extent. You’re making the call, you’re
trying to toss up, ‘well, it feels intrusive,
but what am I going to achieve by taking
this picture?’ It’s a tough decision to make
RQWKHÁ\DQGVRPHWLPHV\RX·YHJRWWR
make it very quickly.Is there a picture that illustrates
VXFKDVLWXDWLRQ"
There’s a couple of pictures from my work
in Mosul that I get asked a lot about: one
of a woman screaming after her son had
been killed in a mortar attack. People
are quite shocked by her expression and
wonder how I came to take that picture.
It looks quite intrusive and it was in many
ways. But, as is often the case in the
Middle East, I was pulled into that
courtyard by other members of the
family who saw me there as the only
photographer. I was the only journalist
on the scene, and they pulled me in to
show me what had happened.,VHHVRWKH\ZDQWHG\RXWRWDNH
WKHSKRWRJUDSKV«
Yeah, and when she saw me that’s when
she started to scream and proclaim. She
wasn’t shouting at us per se, but she wasIf you’re not going
to take photos that
people want you to take
and tell their story then
you really have no
business being there
(^08) AID RELIEF
A truck is practically hidden from view by
desperate civilians at this aid distribution
point in the Mamun district of west Mosul
Lens Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM
Exposure 1/80 sec, f/11, ISO400
(^09) RETRIEVING THE DEAD
Some of the volunteers who collected
unclaimed bodies, most suspected ISIS
fighters, from the ruins of Mosul’s Old City
Lens Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
Exposure 1/250 sec, f/16, ISO800
(^10) THE SCREAM
A woman reacts in horror shortly after her
son was killed by an ISIS mortar attack in
Mosul – Ivor was pulled in by her family
and encouraged to take the photo
Lens Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
Exposure 1/1000 sec, f/8, ISO500
72 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com
08
THEPROINTERVIEW