A photographers life in Afghanistan - what it means every day
Not Tash this time | 05.03.2008 14:15 | Education | Other Press
In this exclusive video, Sergeant Will Craig talks about his life as an Army photographer. He discusses the art of telling stories in pictures -from his days working as a newspaper photographer through to his recent deployment in Afghanistan.
Sgt Will Craig currently serves as a photographer with the Army news team in Northern Ireland.
Explaining his role, Sgt Craig said: “When you deploy you’re carrying about 80 to 90lbs’ worth of kit, that’s before you even get your cameras on. You have to be physically fit, you have to be photographically switched on and you have got to be aware of your surroundings.
“To me you have to be twice as fit. You have to be fit enough to keep up with the blokes, you’ve also got to crack on again and do your job.
“Once you’ve got that bank of images, you could be a couple of days in the field, you could be a week in the field. You come back to a safe area, you get your laptop out, start working your images and then you transmit them from the field…You’ve got to get those images out because you are there to tell the story.”
Will’s interest in taking pictures started with photography lessons at school when he was 15-years-old. After that he started an apprenticeship with a photographic agency which he combined with taking press pictures for Isle of Man Newspapers.
After a stint as a freelance photographer for the Blackpool Evening Gazette, Will fulfilled another ambition and joined the Parachute Regiment at the age of 21.
Six months later, he finished his training and joined the 2nd Battalion, completing two tours of Ireland and many exercise, including exercise Purple Star, the biggest airborne drop since the Second World War.
After serving more than five years with the Paras, Will wanted to return to his first love of photography and investigated possibilities within the army. Now, as military photographer for media operations, Will’s role has taken him across the globe on assignments, including postings in Northern Ireland and Cyprus and three operational tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.
Sgt Craig added: “I’m proud to be an Army photographer …it’s taken me a long time to get here. Reflecting back over my time, it has been interesting journey and I hope other people have enjoyed my journey through the images I have taken.”
Explaining his role, Sgt Craig said: “When you deploy you’re carrying about 80 to 90lbs’ worth of kit, that’s before you even get your cameras on. You have to be physically fit, you have to be photographically switched on and you have got to be aware of your surroundings.
“To me you have to be twice as fit. You have to be fit enough to keep up with the blokes, you’ve also got to crack on again and do your job.
“Once you’ve got that bank of images, you could be a couple of days in the field, you could be a week in the field. You come back to a safe area, you get your laptop out, start working your images and then you transmit them from the field…You’ve got to get those images out because you are there to tell the story.”
Will’s interest in taking pictures started with photography lessons at school when he was 15-years-old. After that he started an apprenticeship with a photographic agency which he combined with taking press pictures for Isle of Man Newspapers.
After a stint as a freelance photographer for the Blackpool Evening Gazette, Will fulfilled another ambition and joined the Parachute Regiment at the age of 21.
Six months later, he finished his training and joined the 2nd Battalion, completing two tours of Ireland and many exercise, including exercise Purple Star, the biggest airborne drop since the Second World War.
After serving more than five years with the Paras, Will wanted to return to his first love of photography and investigated possibilities within the army. Now, as military photographer for media operations, Will’s role has taken him across the globe on assignments, including postings in Northern Ireland and Cyprus and three operational tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.
Sgt Craig added: “I’m proud to be an Army photographer …it’s taken me a long time to get here. Reflecting back over my time, it has been interesting journey and I hope other people have enjoyed my journey through the images I have taken.”
Not Tash this time