Riya V. Anandwala | March 3, 2009
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| Photo by Riya V. Anandwala |
| Photojournalist Ashley Gilbertson’s work from his book, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, is on display at the School of Fine Arts gallery. |
In town to talk about his latest book, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: A Photographer’s Chronicle of the Iraq War, Gilbertson addressed an audience gathered Wednesday for the opening of an exhibit of his photographs a the School of Fine Arts gallery. He described the events he’s witnessed since entering Iraq six years ago and the challenges of covering the people there.
Pointing at photographs hanging on the wall, he explained the scenes that were captured behind the lens.
“There is a distance when you are covering people in pain. Only they know what pain they are going through,” said Gilbertson, 31, a freelancer who has worked for The New York Times, Time, Newsweek and others.
In Iraq since 2002, Gilbertson said the war declared by the U.S. was unjustifiable and that Americans should take responsibility for Iraqis, whether they are for or against them. He said he saw Iraqi military suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and said that he suffered from it, too, and worked with therapists to combat depression.
Gilbertson also took questions from the audience about his family’s concerns for his safety in Iraq and about news coverage. For journalism students who are interested in war photography, he said they should gently let themselves in. A good way to start is to go the refugee camps, he said, to explore the country’s situation.
While in town, Gilbertson spoke to associate professor Steve Raymer’s J410 Media in Social Institutions and assistant professor Hans Ibold’s J414 International Newsgathering Systems.
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| Photo by Riya V. Anandwala |
| Gilbertson suggested new photojournalists should visit refugee camps to get a handle on a country’s situation. |
Victoria Natseva, a J410 student, said she was impressed with what she learned in Gilbertson’s guest lecture. While she found his experiences in Iraq fascinating, his idea of putting a human face to the Iraq war while being embedded with the American troops was something to learn from.
“I could picture myself in his pictures and see what the people were going through. His photographs were inspirational,” she said.
Among his achievements, Gilbertson won the 2004 Robert Capa gold medal award for his coverage of Fallujah, a city in Iraq.
"There is a reason Gilberston got that Robert Capa medal," Raymer said. "His pictures are so close and sometimes tell us things we would prefer not to know. Just like Capa’s."
His other photojournalism work covered HIV/AIDS in China, Wall Street and exploring birth and death in Vienna. His said his next project is photographing the bedrooms of dead soldiers.
The exhibit of his work from the new book remains at SoFA through March 13. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m.
