Horst Faas’ Camera: Weapon of Mass Deconstruction

Saigon Execution by Eddie Adams

Respected Associated Press (AP) picture editor Horst Faas has passed away, aged 79.

Recognised as a fearless and unwavering war photographer, for more than half a century he influenced generations of photographers and unrelentingly carved new standards for covering war.

Even though I learnt of his name mere moments ago, I am compelled to pay tribute to him because he shaped my life, specifically, my perspective on life.

My father’s library consisted mostly of books on the Vietnam War. From a young age I had access to volumes on social injustices during war, dissertations on poor military strategy and, profoundly, book upon book containing haunting images of that sad war.

The most memorable images are known with the simplest of descriptions: Napalm Girl, Saigon Execution and ‘War is Hell’ Soldier. These photos are famous, renowned, vastly significant; they exist in the public consciousness because of Faas.

Napalm Girl by Nick Ut

Having said that, whilst I thought they were universally known, in year 8 when I showed these images to my class during a presentation, the faces of my fellow early teenage students turned grey and their eyes bulged. They had not seen the photos before.

The impact was palpable; boys who were too cool for school or thrived on machismo gasped, put hand to mouth and looked away. A collective innocence was lost that day – one that I perhaps never had being the child of Vietnamese boat people.

Faas was chief of the AP in Saigon from the early ’60s to his departure in the mid ’70s. He commanded an army of photographers and demanded that they always ‘come back with good pictures’. His work in Vietnam garnered him a Pultizer (his first of two).

Wounded by a rocket-propelled grenade in ’67 he become desk bound but continued to work tirelessly to bring the war into people’s awareness. He mentored Nick Ut who took the photo of the Napalm Girl. He had the guts to push through Eddie Adams’ image of Saigon Execution.

Over 70 journalists lost their lives covering the Vietnam War and Faas almost bled to death in Bu Dop, yet, he survived to build a legacy that has changed the world. Indeed, few people leave this world having made so many marks.

‘War is Hell’ Soldier by Horst Faas

‘War is Hell’ Solider is the Mona Lisa of modern times and is testament to Faas’ ability to arrest our attention instantly. Here is a beautiful young man, his eyes longingly look at us as if he is begging us for love and a chance to escape from the hateful weapon he must wield in his hands.

Faas and his team turned the tide on the Vietnam War. Technological advances in the way images could be captured and transmitted rapidly meant for the first time in history, the world was seeing war as it happened. It made many queasy and I dare say was the catalyst for mass protest against war.

Determination, courage and vision; the next time I raise my Canon I will pause for a moment to pay my respects to this great man. May his army forevermore wield the most powerful weapon in war; the camera – weapon of mass deconstruction.

Message in a Bottle

Original shot of Shonibare's Fourth Plinth commission.

I’ve been experimenting with creating lomo-style images in Photoshop.

This photo is of a Fourth Plinth commission. Heroic Lord Nelson, permanently and boldly stands atop the first plinth in Trafalgar Square while the fourth plinth has a rotating roster of commissioned artworks. The 2010 piece was ‘Ship in a Bottle’ by artist Yinka Shonibare.

I first saw Shonibare’s work at the National Gallery of Victoria (the feature work was his interpretation of Reaburn’s Portrait of The Reverend Robert Walker Skating) and always find Shonibare’s art insightful, witty and beautiful.

With this piece, the replica of Nelson’s HMS Victory is adorned with gorgeous African textiles for the sails – I interpret it to be a message about past imperialism, present multiculturalism, and an optimistic future.

This snap of the fourth plinth was taken with my CanonG11. While it is a nice enough tourist pic, I think the lomo effect breaths life into it; the sky is more dynamic, the stone is stronger and the fabrics really stand out and ‘pop’.

Edited image of Shonibare's Fourth Plinth commission.

Dan Vogue 101 – The Basics

By The Rivers of Vinh Long (sung to the tune of Rivers of Babylon)

It’s time for an introduction!

The basics are; I’m Melbourne born, 27 years old, of Southern Vietnamese heritage (I speak Viet with a heavy Can Tho accent) and was born in the year of the pig (my oinker traits are loyalty, honesty and stubborn optimism).

I studied marketing at the University of Melbourne and worked in radio at JOY 94.9. I love photography, writing and drawing. I rock climb for the mental challenge, tinker on the piano to annoy others and my obsession is international food; I love weird foods from different cuisine cultures (eg. scorpion, rat, tortoise, dog, snake, etc.).

I adapt quickly and often find myself guiding fellow travellers in towns I’ve only just set foot in. Ironically, I have no internal compass and you’ll often find me with rotating maps to match the direction I am facing (thank goodness the iPhone solved this problem, now you’ll find me constantly figure-eighting my phone).

Six months ago, I quit my job and prepared to set sail for the world. Three months ago, I left my home to tour the world with my heart set on seeing Saigon, Tokyo, Seoul, London, Paris and Rome (as a bare minimum). With no return ticket, I plan on travelling for at least 2 years.

So far, I’ve seen Singapore, Tokyo and the entire coastline of Vietnam. Next week, I’ll fly into Seoul, Hong Kong then London. The most magical thing of all is to see the same sun set in different cities (and clouds seem different everywhere I go).

Up until recently, my greatest phobia was to be in a foreign country with no friends, job or money (my parents are immigrants to I think I inherited this from them). When my wallet was pinched in Hanoi I was forced to face that fear, and walk into it.

Before I left Melbourne, I was interested in a guy my friends nicknamed ‘North-West’. He checked to see if I’d be a suitable boyfriend by asking me for a list of 10 things that make me great. I wrote one, but didn’t share it with him because I felt he should discover it for himself.

Yesterday when I re-read the list I laughed at how ‘inside the square’ my life once was. I wouldn’t write those 10 things now. I don’t think I could be restricted to 10 either –  I need 101, or even more! I guess while travelling, what I’ve learnt is to trust and believe in myself.

I am who I am, and that makes me happy.

Just Shoot Me

Day X: My favourite shot in Rach Gia, Vietnam

It’s Day 42 of my travels and I’ve been snapping my way happily around the world.

I really wanted to learn the craft of photography and luckily I’ve met some talented people who are always willing to share their tricks of the trade.

A young guy in Singapore  showed me his amazing night time shots and taught me about shutter speed. In Japan I was taught about the “magic hour” when the sun sets and almost every shot looks beautiful. In Hanoi I was given a 101 in manual focus and as my camera “popped faster” I took more people photos.

Taking photos from the back of the motorbike really tests your ability to work hard and fast – and how to keep it steady. I see photos faster than my hands can take them and it’s about training my hands and body too react an capture that shot.

Photographer Minor White keeps me inspired,

“No matter how slow the film, the spirit always stands still long enough for the photographer it has chosen.”

The Wright Touch

Reach for the sky! Still aiming for the Wright touch.

Liam Wright is a bit of a genius when it comes to photography.

I met him during a photoshoot for the Minus18 Same Sex Formal and we booked the front cover of MCV. Since then, we bonded over a mutual love for Grand Designs, Lady Gaga and the “golden shot”.

There’s a few distinctive things about Liam’s work that I like, including the colour mood, the inventive way people are captured and how he makes the mundane extraordinary. These last few days I’ve been wandering around Singapore thinking “what would Liam do?”.

He helped me pick out my camera which I’ve named Camii. It’s a sexy and sleek yet solid Canon Powershot G11 – it feels like it’s built to last. As a hybrid, Camii is an excellent digicam yet features more manual settings than the average. I figure if I learn to use all the manual settings, I’ll allow myself to upgrade to a DSLR – still, I have a lot to learn first.

My first few snaps, felt a bit contrived, like I was striving too hard to replicate images I’d seen before. After a bit of advice from Paul Terdich, I’ve eased up and my motto in “don’t think construction, feel the composition”. I’m doing my best to switch off the logical side of my brain and turn on the creative.

Soon I hope I’ll develop my own style, while still having the Wright touch.