Stacy Pearsall - A Photojournalist’s Field Guide: In the trenches with combat photographer Stacy Pearsall

In the trenches with combat photographer Stacy Pearsall

A Photojournalists Field Guide: In the trenches with combat photographer Stacy Pearsall
Stacy Pearsall

Peachpit Press
www.peachpit.com

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Peachpit Press is a division of Pearson Education.

Copyright 2013 by Stacy Pearsall

Project Editor: Valerie Witte
Production Editor: Katerina Malone
Copyeditor: Liz Welch
Proofreader: Erin Heath
Composition: WolfsonDesign
Indexer: Valerie Haynes Perry
Cover Photo: Stacy Pearsall
Cover and Interior Design: Mimi Heft

Notice of Rights

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts, contact .

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The information in this book is distributed on an As Is basis, without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the author nor Peachpit shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the computer software and hardware products described in it.

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Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Peachpit was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.

ISBN-13: 978-0-321-89661-2
ISBN-10: 0-321-89661-0

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed and bound in the United States of America

I dedicate this book to the guy who said, You need
to go back and read your manual so you know how
to operate your camera properly, and the man who
told me, Your compositions arent too bad, but your
exposures are way off, and the gentleman who
admitted, Youre a wonderful photographer, and
Im so proud of you. That guy, that man, and that
gentleman is my husband, Andy Dunaway.

Theres a long and distinguished list of photographerstoo many to mention herewho have facilitated my professional growth as a photojournalist. Those who have touched my life and career know who you are and should be aware that I greatly appreciate all youve taught me over the years.

One photographer I would like to mention by name, who just so happens to be my husband, is Andy Dunaway. He deserves a huge thank-you for putting up with my red-eye writing rages. He provided some much-needed calm and wisdom when I was on the brink of going insane from putting this book together. Thank you, darling.

Then there are the editors and production team at Peachpit who held my hand through the entire process, too: Katerina Malone, Liz Welch, Erin Heath, Valerie Haynes Perry, Mimi Heft, and the WolfsonDesign crew. I particularly want to thank my project manager Valerie Witte, who was incredibly obliging and patient when I bombarded her with one-liner questions in more than 100 emails. Im grateful Peachpit decided to take on this project, as I believe theres so much information contained in these pages that can only benefit working photojournalists. Yall are amazing.

Finally, I have to thank my photographer buddies and colleagues who graciously contributed their time, insights, and imagery to make this the best educational photojournalism handbook out there. Here they are in alphabetical order: Al Bello, Tom Bol, Michael Clark, Carolyn Cole, Andy Dunaway, Mirjam Evers, Enrico Fabian, Bill Frakes, Deanne Fitzmaurice, Steve Glass, Lucas Jackson, Yuri Kozyrev, Joe McNally, Win McNamee, Phil Pacheco, Eli Reed, and Bruce Strong.

Lens (mm): 55, ISO: 200, Aperture: 4, Shutter: 1/180, Program: Aperture Priority

This is an image taken of me during a combat patrol in Kahlis, Iraq. (Photo by Andy Dunaway)

Theres a lot I wasnt taught in the military or college regarding the business of photojournalism. As a young combat photographer, I had no field guide like this to help steer me through the daily minutia of the photojournalism profession, including the nonphotographic challenges. The training I received was often on the job or passed down from photographer to photographer, hands-on. I was given volumes of reading material issued to all Air Force photographers that had little to do with my specialty job as a combat photographer, so the only time I ever read it was when promotion time rolled around and I was required to. To be honest, I gained more insight through shadowing other, more experienced military photojournalists and simple trial and error in shooting.

Its logical to question how someone like me, relatively young, has enough knowledge to sit down and write a book about photojournalism. Well, I guess the answer is I got an early start and havent stopped since. Plus Ive been lucky enough to gain worldly experience in a relatively short period of time. Ive compiled all Ive learned and experienced on domestic and international assignments and have translated these experiences into the valuable information found on these pages.

When I was 17, I never imagined where Id be today. I was naive, energetic, and optimistic about my future. I lacked the talent of numbers and science, but I excelled at the arts. I studied my options and even looked at several art schools before deciding on the military as my career, which came as no surprise to my family because the majority of them served in one branch of service or another.

I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force as a basic still photographer. I went to basic training, also known as boot camp, and then to the Defense Information School (DINFOS). The brief photography course taught me how to process film of all types, black and white, C-41 and E-6. I learned to read light using a handheld meter and make a manual exposure with my Nikon camera. After studying the basics of camera operations, I learned the concepts of composition, content, and storytelling. The classes lasted 6 months, including a brief course on how to process U-2 reconnaissance aircraft large-format camera film. I loved the photography classes, but the film processing... not so much.

As luck would have it, the Air Force sent me to the Joint Intelligence Center to process thousands of feet of infrared spy plane film. As if that torture werent enough, I had a follow-up assignment at the Joint Analysis Center for more darkroom shenanigans. Needless to say, I spent 4 years tucked away in a vault, within a vault, within another vault. For me, it was prison.

I knew I had to get out of the darkroom, so I plotted and planned my escape. During my research and scheming, I came upon one of the best-kept secrets in the Department of Defense: Combat Camera. I had not touched a camera outside of my own personal projectsthat wasnt part of my official duty description. I scrounged together some pictures that resembled a portfolio and submitted them along with my military evaluation reports and full-length photo of me in uniform.