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because it was the New York Times! I was
nervous about putting words in front of
the editors and having them published for
everyone to see on such a big platform.
It came about through the photo editor,
who I started working with when I was
covering Mosul. He said, “We want you
to do your thing, but we also want you to
write,” and I said, “Okay, but what kind
of story do you want me to do?” He said
to describe what I was seeing as an
embedded photographer. It was simple,
but it made sense. I realized that, as a
photographer, we tend to go that bit
further and spend a lot of time on the
ground with the people we’re trying
to photograph and inherently you see
a lot more stuff than other people do.
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Yeah, for sure. I really enjoy it now.
I’ve ended up working a lot more with
correspondents at the New York Times
covering the remnants of ISIS. These
are amazing journalists and I’m not a
seasoned writer by any means! I can
string a sentence together and realize
the power of describing what you see
as a photographer, but to work with the
calibre of journalists that they have at the
New York Times, covering the Middle East,
is also an incredible tool to add to your
work as a photographer. I enjoy both; the
process of writing my own stories and
working on my own from time to time.
I believe that that’s also when you do
your best work as a photographer,
when you’re on your own.:KDW&DQRQNLWGLG\RXSDFN
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pack as light as possible. While I’ll have
backup cameras in my bag, I’ll carry just
one body with me when I’m out in the
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and cards and batteries and that’s it!
That’s what you’re wearing out on the
day while working because you want to
be light and nimble. My kit is simple: it’s
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lenses, EF 35mm and 50mm, and I’ve got
the EF 24-70mm f/2.8 which is useful for
ZRUNLQJTXLFNO\%XW,SUHIHUÀ[HGOHQVHV06(^05) TAKING AIM
An Iraqi special forces soldier fires on ISIS
positions from a rooftop on the frontline in
the Shuhada neighbourhood of west Mosul
Lens Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
Exposure 1/1600 sec, f/8, ISO400
(^06) QUEUING FOR AID
Civilians line up for aid distribution in west
Mosul after months trapped with little food
and water in the last remaining ISIS-held
areas of the city
Lens Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
Exposure 1/250 sec, f/8, ISO400
(^07) CAR BOMB VICTIM
A man calls out to relatives moments after
discovering that his father had been killed
by an ISIS suicide car bomb in west Mosul
Lens Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
Exposure 1/250 sec, f/9, ISO320
I’ll carry just one
body with me when I’m
out in the field. I’ll have
one other lens on my belt
and cards and batteries
and that’s it!
70 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com
THEPROINTERVIEW
05