MY RELATED QUESTION: Danfung, have you ever considered that the Afghan villagers do not want to have “conversations” with the American, British, or any other occupying forces soldier. In fact, they probably don’t even want to look at them anymore.

Pretty soon, they would probably like to have their own country back, thank you very much. Now, can everybody please, please go home already?

“…within the next 12 months, the war will become unwinnable.”

MY INSTANT CORRECTION: The “war,” if you can call it that even, has been already LOST as far as the US, Britain, and their NATO allies is concerned, and lost some time ago. Problem is, news of this spectacular deafeat had not yet reached Washington and NATO HQ near Brussels.

In Washington, you have the curious case of having a new President who apparently still thinks that the “other guy” is srill in office. And that therefore, he’s got plenty of time yet to figure out a new “strategy.” Which is why he is doing squat, the best I can figure.

I agree with you though that having usable nighttime and low-light video images, nothing beats that giant-sensor EOS 5D2. Only if it did not do that ridiculous downsampling and line-skipping business in video mode, hmmm?

In response to Antoine and Chris, I agree with you about the music. The composer I had originally hired did not meet my expectations, so I had to use generic temp music which I think is over the top. I am, however, trying to bring a cinematic look and sound to documentary to reach and engage the widest possible audience about the realities of the war in Afghanistan.

Bela and Patrick, I chose to use the 5D II because I am primarily a stills photographer, so the camera allows me to switch between the two mediums seamlessly. Also, the excellent image quality and low light capabilities give me the aesthetic freedom that no traditional video camera can provide. The small size of the camera also allows it to be mounted on a hand held steadicam. I choose the Glidecam because it seemed more robust and could hold more weight than the Merlin.

Brian and Reinhard, the documentary will primarily be conversations between US Marines and Afghan villagers- an on the ground perspective that will give voice to ordinary Afghans that are caught in the crossfire. They complain of civilian casualties and intrusive raids that disrespect Pashtun culture. If the US does not show these same people that they are their to help and show tangible progress within the next 12 months, the war will become unwinnable. I invite you to watch the whole documentary as I believe there is no other outlet that will show the realities on frontline in Afghanistan as this film will.

Gary, thanks for your posts. James Nachtwey’s book “Inferno” was what inspired be to get into photojournalism. As in Northern Ireland, it’s hard to win the support of the people when wearing heavy body armor.

by James Nachtway

There has always been war. War is raging throughout the world at the present moment. And there is little reason to believe that war will cease to exist in the future. As man has become increasingly civilized, his means of destroying his fellow man have become ever more efficient, cruel and devastating.

Is it possible to put an end to a form of human behavior which has existed throughout history by means of photography? The proportions of that notion seem ridiculously out of balance. Yet, that very idea has motivated me.

For me, the strength of photography lies in its ability to evoke a sense of humanity. If war is an attempt to negate humanity, then photography can be perceived as the opposite of war and if it is used well it can be a powerful ingredient in the antidote to war.

In a way, if an individual assumes the risk of placing himself in the middle of a war in order to communicate to the rest of the world what is happening, he is trying to negotiate for peace. Perhaps that is the reason why those in charge of perpetuating a war do not like to have photographers around.

It has occurred to me that if everyone could be there just once to see for themselves what white phosphorous does to the face of a child or what unspeakable pain is caused by the impact of a single bullet or how a jagged piece of shrapnel can rip someone’s leg off – if everyone could be there to see for themselves the fear and the grief, just one time, then they would understand that nothing is worth letting things get to the point where that happens to even one person, let alone thousands.

But everyone cannot be there, and that is why photographers go there – to show them, to reach out and grab them and make them stop what they are doing and pay attention to what is going on – to create pictures powerful enough to overcome the diluting effects of the mass media and shake people out of their indifference – to protest and by the strength of that protest to make others protest.

The worst thing is to feel that as a photographer I am benefiting from someone else’s tragedy. This idea haunts me. It is something I have to reckon with every day because I know that if I ever allow genuine compassion to be overtaken by personal ambition I will have sold my soul. The stakes are simply too high for me to believe otherwise.

I attempt to become as totally responsible to the subject as I possibly can. The act of being an outsider aiming a camera can be a violation of humanity. The only way I can justify my role is to have respect for the other person’s predicament. The extend to which I do that is the extent to which I become accepted by the other, and to that extent I can accept myself.

While they are playing in Afghanistan, Pakistan is also moving to be under Taliban control.

Undoubtedly, Canon will be releasing many more new and exciting video-savvy DSLRs well before the war-like show will draw its final curtain in Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc.