Brilliant, thanks so much. I had the pleasure of meeting Don once, he is a quiet, thoughtful and extremely polite man. I was star-struck but he took 10 mins of his time to talk to me. Fan forever.
You are a refreshing oasis amidst the arid desert of .........Thank you for reminding us that photography is about light and life and the courage of those who pursued these things. P.S. Robert Adam's books are wonderful inspiration (Why People Photograph and Beauty In Photography: Essays In Defense Of Traditional Values).
Excellent video Tatiana 👏 As a former military photographer (U.S. Navy / Viet-Nam era) I have tremendous respect for the photogs who served in combat camera groups. I remember seeing the exhibit for the book "Requiem: by the photographers who died in Viet-Nam and Indo-China" back in 1998 in San Francisco. It was an emotional experience not to be forgotten. I have much praise for civilians like Don McCullin, David Kennerly, Eddie Adams, Tim Page and many more... and the unsung heroes who lost their lives like Larry Burrows, Sean Flynn, Dana Stone, Henri Huet and (earlier) Robert Capa among others. From the start of the war in the 1950's to the fall of Saigon in 1975, 135 photographers from both sides were killed or missing in action. Their work played an important part in helping to end the war. It's important that their photos be seen by future generations and not forgotten. Good work T. ! ☮
Absolutely Joseph images are worth more than 1000 words sometimes and theirs illustrated very crude realities! And with that illustrated history and helped changing it, thank you for your service Joseph!
Thank you for posting this and adding details about McCullin's life and work I did not know. He is one of most powerful influences for so many reasons, not least because I found myself, like him in conflict situations and amidst the tides of refugees caused by wars in Afghanistan and Syria while leading an NGO in Greece. The images made by McCullin of the displaced were my lodestone when it came to taking photos of the suffering I witnessed.
Thanks alot. I plan to study this guys work alot more. What an amazing individual Don MCullin is. I've seen a few of his very famous pictures. I never realized the scope of his career. Thank you T. Hooper. Another fine show.
I have that exact same camera and similiar tripod as well as black and white film. BUT, I cannot produce the same quality of artistic prints that he can come up with !!!! Wonderful video and presentation, as usual RS Canada
The greatest journalist photographer ever 👏 To capture the photos that he did takes bravery . Also can leave you with emotional pain and sadness for the rest of your life.
Beautifully contructed narrative on a truly creative and totally respected human being.... Who through his mind and his eyes, manages to convey our human REALM as it actually is. Thank you *
What a thought provoking presentation of the work one of the most outstanding conflict photographers of recent times. Thank you. I hope he finds the peace that he seeks. We all have our demons, and we all have to find our own way of dealing with them.
It's essential, when you start thinking that you are a good photographer, that you look at the work of McCullin. It places your feet firmly back on the ground.
McCullin’s war photography is, of course, legendary. But I’d also recommend a small monograph called ‘Open Skies’ which features his landscape photography. The book is out of print but easily available used for only a few pounds. It’s very moving, even haunting.
Thanks for making this. It confirms what I've thought for some time, that you produce the most insightful ad heartfelt films about photography. McCullin's photos are exquisite and have a depth and sadness that, perhaps, I usually only feel about Gene Smith. There are many short biographical documentaries about McCulllin, but the most insightful and trenchant one I have seen is called At War: Photographer Don McCullin. It was produced by the Economist Magazine and appears to no longer be on RU-vid but can be found on Daily Motion.
Great video. Thanks for sharing. I started studying war photographers at course and the teacher mentioned McCullin, but I didn't know about his landscape photographies and the meaning behind this evolution on his work. I feel his struggle and his seek for peace. Amazing video!! Thanks!
Great video :) Thank you for casting your spotlight onto one of photography’s great masters. His prints, some of which I had the pleasure of viewing at his show held at the Tate Britain in 2019, are incredible; some made me sad, some made me cry, some made me smile but all of them made me think. After all he has witnessed throughout his career I’m glad that he’s now able to find some sense of peace with his landscape photography.
Agreed Kevin, he is one of the most important photographers and with this video I also understood how talented he is and such a versatile photographer too!
Hi Tatiana, thank you for posting this brilliant video. Your commentary and insight really help to us know and understand who McCullin was and is as a photographer. His work is extraordinary, and up until now I hadn’t been exposed to it. Thank you very much for all of your hard work. It is very much appreciated! Stay Safe✌️
Many thanks for featuring an all time great. His versatility across numerous subjects is stunning. Having lived in central London where some of the shots you featured here from back in the 1970's, evokes memories of seeing homeless, street sleepers and drunks on a daily basis. All very gritty but very very true. I have his book The Landscape, and would recommend it if you want to see some of his stunning B&W landscapes.
Don McCullin's work was one of the things that really got me into photography when I bought his book 'Sleeping with ghosts' in the early 90s. I also bought Salgado's Workers and a Eugene Smith book around the same time. I have seen his work a few times, both locally in Somerset but also at the excellent Conflict, Time, Photography exhibition at the Tate Modern some years back (it also introduced me to the wonderful work of Chloe Dewe Matthews). However, probably my favourite thing was watching the BBC TV show 'Looking for England' which was aired in early 2020 and followed him around parts of the UK. There are some great moments in the show where he is just shaking with laughter, a lovely sight to see given all that he has experienced in life. Well worth a watch, if you can find it anywhere (I can't find it on RU-vid, sadly).
The man’s story is as interesting as his photography.. A man born into a violent society and learnt to be humble and humane through his experience…as he says himself.. it was a miracle he escaped his surroundings…. Was lucky to see his prints at the imperial war museum…really quite stunning… his a master printer …
Good documentary about Sir Don McCulllin. I was unaware of his photography and style. Like Robert Capa, W. Eugene Smith, Henri Cartier Bresson and Larry Burrows, McCulllin captured events at the peak of the action. To grab that 'decisive moment' as it was happening. His work is amazing.
"..I am sentencing myself to peace" is an incredibly thought provoking concept Like stillness, and the act of savoring life, is almost a form of atonement for the choices he made through photography One can only imaging the things seen that *weren't* captured on a roll of film Beautiful piece as always, Tatiana 🙏🏾
I’m glad you’ve included the part of his genre taking away from his soul. I couldn’t do war photography myself. The ultimate collapse of reason in humanity in some sort of attritional war and all of its atrocities. Credits to him but I couldn’t do it. Great episode!
I'd highly recommend a Brazilian contemporary war photojournalist, Gabriel Chaim. His work is impeccable and meaningful in so many ways. Love from Brazil, Tatiana! I adore your channel ❤️
Thanks Tatiana, another great video on a great photographer. In addition to your book list on Don McCullin I'd like to recommend the book simply called "Don McCullin" first published by Tate in 2019 to accompany a retrospective exhibition of his work held at Tate Liverpool in that year. I wasn't able to see the exhibition unfortunately as I live in Australia but the book gives a very good overview of his work, including many of the images in your video. Look forward to your next one - thanks!
Thank you very much for highlighting Donald McCullin and his work. He is such a likable person, so humble - and soo oldstyle. Canon tried to seduce him in 2016 introducing him to a 5d Mark III and he praised the system a lot. But only a few days later on another occasion he confessed to be a die hard film photographer again. - I love his rough b/w style endlessly. And I think you are very right stressing his bravery. He was severly injured in Vietnam and his "shot down" Nikon F is legend. Icons of combat photography like Robert Capa died in the field.
Yes. He has gone on record as saying that he believes that there is no honesty in digital photography. He still at the age of 88 works in his own darkroom. A true master.
Was he the photographer who lent his studio to the producers of "Blow up"? His house and studio had just the right amount of chaos, functionality and intrigue. I would have loved to live in such a place in the 1960s...
Thanks Tatiana for covering the work of Don McCullin, one of the finest of photographers, not only the quality of his images but also in his approach. I recommend his autobiography “Unreasonable Behaviour”. Also noting that the link to the film doesn’t work.
What a great survey of Don McCullin! Thank you. His sounds a lot like Lynsey Addario's experiences ("It's What I do".) Interesting mention that 'Photography started taking away from him' paraphrase. Have yet to hear that confession. Is that a Gossen Luna Lite he was using? (7:52) I loved mine.
Hey 👋 another great video. I was wondering if you’d ever considered doing a video on Artur Pastor (from Portugal). Especially his work in the 50s and 60s (Alentejo, Algarve, Nazaré, etc). Anyway, keep up the great work! Cheers.
