How does one get a camera operator job in a danger zone?

S

sschwartz23

Active member
Hi,

Does anyone here know the steps it takes to get a camera operator job in a danger zone - like Iraq, Afghanistan, Columbia etc. I'm curious about this process.

Thanks!
 
I also think it would be interesting/gratifying. I'd probably take it, despite the danger.

This guy I talk to online seems to be in the mix with this type of stuff. He still emails me after every trip he takes with a description to "asses the damage" of his latest trip, and he seems like a nice, genuine guy.

If you're serious about knowing more about it, shoot him an email. I'm 100% positive he'd enjoy talking about it.

http://www.earlb.com/

p.s. He's not in the war zones as far as I can tell, but he does more in the aftermath of disasters. Either way, interesting stuff.
 
most of the people that do this kind of stuff are freelancers. they are the ones that get into the nitty gritty, they get the best footage but they also get killed and injured a LOT. the major news corps are not willing to insure their cameramen to this extreme so the freelancers are a better option.

I knew a photographer who was in Bosnia (I actually have his old EOS 1). He went down by himself with some crazy insurance backing him up and teamed up with some soldiers who were heading out. helmet, bulletproof vest, mace, the whole nine yards. somehow he ended up in the middle of a huge battle and got some amazing shots before getting hit in the back of the head (with a helmet so no injury) and falling face first on his camera. after realizing he should have been dead he headed home and sold his photos for some serious $$$. two of the people he traveled with - one writer and a videographer - were both shot a year later. no one cared.

mor10
 
there was just that video/photo journalist in Burma that was shot point-blank by one of the junta military. the thing is that getting killed in a very painful manner has to be an accepted possibility, so what you have to be doing has to be worth it.

i was just shooting in a protest that got broken up the police and the director had to grab me by the back of the shirt & pull me out before one of the cops grabbed me, but even that was pretty tame. but you have to build your way into the real dangerous stuff job-by-job until the people with the assignments know who you are. Until then, people are hesitant to hire those who haven't been in those situations because you never know how someone will handle under pressure.
 
Morten is correct - I work for the news (don't tell anyone) part-time and they don't just send out anyone to anywhere. Not even close. They pick up what they can get or buy from freelancers and what they sell to the wires. EarlB looks like the real deal.

How to get there in fourteen hard steps:

1. Get fit. As fit as you can.
2. Study a foreign language, preferably where you want to get footage. Like, say if you are headed to the Middle East, study Farsi and Arabic. You don't need to be fluent, but having a little grasp of the language can both get you some favor with the locals, and maybe save your life.
3. Get your passport up to date. Study how to get Visas to countries you want to visit.
4. Study all the under the table stuff from people who have been there. Stuff that isn't in the travel books. Things like having several $20 bills sewn into hidden pockets of your clothing or in the soles of your shoes in case you're in a bind.
5. Get an extra Visa credit card. They won't take it in Iraq if you're at their airport, but if you can get to Saudi Arabia, you can get a plane ticket to London if you need to get somewhere safe, or to medical help.
6. Get your shots.
7. Buy plane tickets with air insurance if you can get it.
8. Bring cameras, extra tapes, extra batteries, charger. But bring very little else. Very light clothing. Everything must fit in a small backpack.
9. Get on plane, fly to country of choice.
10. Once on the ground, if you're not meeting anyone, find a "taxi" driver you can trust/bribe. Pay him to take you to the hot spots.
11. Start talking to people. Start shooting.
12. Get out alive.
13. When you get to London with that Pulitzer winning footage, call the CBS news desk all out of breath about your once in a lifetime footage of XYZ.
14. Repeat.
 
snowleopard said:
Morten is correct - I work for the news (don't tell anyone) part-time and they don't just send out anyone to anywhere. Not even close. They pick up what they can get or buy from freelancers and what they sell to the wires. EarlB looks like the real deal.

How to get there in fourteen hard steps:

1. Get fit. As fit as you can.
2. Study a foreign language, preferably where you want to get footage. Like, say if you are headed to the Middle East, study Farsi and Arabic. You don't need to be fluent, but having a little grasp of the language can both get you some favor with the locals, and maybe save your life.
3. Get your passport up to date. Study how to get Visas to countries you want to visit.
4. Study all the under the table stuff from people who have been there. Stuff that isn't in the travel books. Things like having several $20 bills sewn into hidden pockets of your clothing or in the soles of your shoes in case you're in a bind.
5. Get an extra Visa credit card. They won't take it in Iraq if you're at their airport, but if you can get to Saudi Arabia, you can get a plane ticket to London if you need to get somewhere safe, or to medical help.
6. Get your shots.
7. Buy plane tickets with air insurance if you can get it.
8. Bring cameras, extra tapes, extra batteries, charger. But bring very little else. Very light clothing. Everything must fit in a small backpack.
9. Get on plane, fly to country of choice.
10. Once on the ground, if you're not meeting anyone, find a "taxi" driver you can trust/bribe. Pay him to take you to the hot spots.
11. Start talking to people. Start shooting.
12. Get out alive.
13. When you get to London with that Pulitzer winning footage, call the CBS news desk all out of breath about your once in a lifetime footage of XYZ.
14. Repeat.
Click to expand...

Seems about right.

And REALLY exciting, I might add.
 
Last edited:
And REALLY exciting, I might add
Click to expand...
Despite my cavalier post, I would agree. If you think this is something you want to do, look into it deeper and go for it. I've done adventure travel, and the worst it got (almost got stuck in Kyrgyzstan - what a nightmare) I don't regret one bit. A much more interesting part of my life than sitting safely in a TV studio.
 
Much of the news video being being shot in combat zones is shot by locals. They know the language and customs and blend in better. That said, if you have some heavy experience as a shooter (and I'm not talking about weddings) contact the foreign desk at each network and ask what their policies are. Most send their staff through a war survival training course before sending them into hot zones. If you can wrangle yourself into a slot, do it as it might save your life either by teaching you survival skills or convincing you to forget about combat photography in the first place.

Also keep in mind that Muslim countries have some interesting notions about booze and casual sex. You may end up having to spend several weeks or months both sober and celibate. If absolutely necessary, I can do either, but not both at the same time.

Mike Parker
ex-Army combat photog
 
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