50 years of Photojournalism
Horst Faas
Associated Press
If I like it or not, when my fifty odd years in the profession of photojournalism (1951-2004) are assessed, the discussion invariably leads straight to my coverage of the Vietnam War.
True: Vietnam was the centerpiece of my career as photographer. Assigned there by The Associated Press from 1962 until 1973, after a first experience as a foreign correspondent in the Congo and Algeria, I found myself in a most desirable position for an international news agency photographer: close to a story which was instant world history, which produced ever more dramatic and moving photographs making the front pages around the world nearly every day, for weeks, months – for more than a decade.
In Saigon I was the primus inter pares photo chief of The AP, working with an ever changing gang of Vietnamese and other photographers of many nationalities. Depending on the intensity of the war, we were sometimes only a handful, and sometimes platoon strength. It was a time of many common bonds and of intense friendships that have lasted until today. There was also tragedy: five of us at AP died in battle and almost everybody got wounded at least once, including myself in 1967.
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Along came recognition, promotion, salary increases, a first Pulitzer, the Capa award and a rush of other journalism awards. I am one of the few photojournalists alive these days who have spent their whole adult working life with the same company, in my case The Associated Press – from 1956 until 2004. For half that time I was a photographer, working mostly alone or in small bureaus, and I was also my own editor.
I must admit that “Pure Photography” was never my passion. I have used photography as my means of expression in news agency journalism. I could switch to eyewitness writing with ease, especially when photos did not tell the full story. I loved to do photo essays, but in the world of the wire agencies in my days there was no room or transmission time for photo essays. My work was primarily in black and white (which I still like best) because the newspapers served by the AP could only print black and white. When they began to experiment with color, so did I and The AP.
Then, in the late 70s, came the tempting offer to take over from the boss in London, which I understood simply as a reversal of roles: that I would not be sent out by the boss based in London, Paris or New York to cover breaking crisis events, but would myself now order others to rush off to riots and wars. The transition from photographer to managing photo manager responsible for dealing with Europe, the Middle East, Africa and other territories once connected to the British Empire was painful. The withdrawal symptoms have lasted until today.
I slowly drifted into my second career as editor, administrator, manager. For several years I could do my work as the “number two” in London and also take on photographic assignments which saw me taking pictures in the Middle East, Africa and all over Europe, but I was more of a fireman, unable to settle comfortably into a complex story, as, for instance, the Middle East conflict.
Soon I learned that I could not responsibly control a complex operation like AP’s European photo collection and distribution, and take time out with the boys to take pictures. I had to put my cameras on the shelf.
The next 25 years I was involved in painful periods of trial and error with new technologies, all developed initially by the news agencies themselves. First screens and keyboards, instant message systems, fax and paper print receivers, the first film scanners, then the first “digital darkroom” costing millions, and every year more and more gadgetry, eventually leading to digital photo transmission in seconds. It was a difficult time to produce the best (albeit not always) 24 hour flow of up-to-date attractive news photos while simultaneously developing the best tools for the trade. It was necessary to discuss the new technology, how to pay for it all, negotiations with unions and the daily problems when something went wrong, and to overcome the eternal shortage of equipment, staff and funds.
Yet, our main mission – to timely deliver a selection of the best news photos – remained the priority. Struggling along, year after year, and getting older, I slipped away from the daily chaos which I enjoyed every day. In 2004 I retired, preparing, with AP’s help, for a new career as a “photographer at leisure”.
In May 2005 in Hanoi, a spinal aneurysm and paraplegia saw my legs replaced with a wheelchair. From this new vantage point I hope to continue exploring the world and see strong photojournalism emerge from the ongoing changes in the world of news reporting.
