This morning I picked up the Phaidon reprint of Philip Jones Griffiths' masterpiece "Vietnam Inc." The stark and straightforward b+w photos make emphatic the war's terrors. Any idea what film and equipment he used? I'm guessing TriX and Nikons, kitted out with wide angles, probably 28mms.

-- Gulley Jimson (gulleyjimson@hotmail.com), March 06, 2002

Answers

I think you are right, some of the shots look like they were taken on something wider maybe a 20mm? If you like that short of thing have a look at Telex Iran by Gilles Peress also of Magnum, also the big orange Magnum book is very good

B

-- brian (briandavidstevens@talk21.com), March 07, 2002.

Brian, has "Telex Iran" been re-issued? I thought it was long out of print.

-- Richard (rvle@yahoo.com), March 07, 2002.

Well a few bookshops in London (zwemmers, Foyles) have it so I think it must be have you had a look on Amazon?

B

http://www.briandavidstevens.com

-- brian (briandavidstevens@talk21.com), March 07, 2002.

in the us

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/002-82 65075-5156005

in the uk

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/3931141365/202-17 44080-8015000

B

-- brian (briandavidstevens@talk21.com), March 07, 2002.

If you liked Viet Nam Inc. then you will also appreciate "Requime" by Tim Page. Very powerful images from the big names of the era including Capa, Burrows, Everette Dixie Resse et al

-- Brooks (Bvonarx@comcast.net), March 07, 2002.

I have no idea what he used then. He recently had this to say about the current war (Photo District News Online a couple of months ago):

"The tragedy of 911 was the most photographed event in history and the ensuing war must be a close second…I sincerely hope there is someone out there wandering around the Hindu Kush with two Leicas and Tri-X, recording a more profound view of the event."

-- Chuck Albertson (chucko@siteconnect.com), March 07, 2002.

Well, I'll be damned. I had no idea it had been reissued (in 1998, no less). Guess I must have been asleep all these years.

-- Richard (rvle@yahoo.com), March 07, 2002.

He's lectuting at the ICP in New York on next Wednesday, March 13th so anybody who goes could ask him. The only shot I've seen of him of him in combat gear from that era shows him with a Leica, either an MP or an M2 with Leicavit MP, can't tell which............

-- david kelly (dmkedit@aol.com), March 08, 2002.

Another reason to go to the ICP is to see the current exhibit on North Vietnamese photographers during the Vietnam war. The photos are amazing and give an entirely different perspective on the war. It ends March 17th. Plus, I would hope that no one wastes Q&A time with Philip Griffith Jones by asking him what camera and film he uses. Jesus, there are a million other important questions that one could ask him about his seminal book and his time in Vietnam. Personally, I would hate to be giving a lecture on my photos and have someone ask whether or not my 35 Summicron is 3rd or 4th generation.

-- Richard (rvle@yahoo.com), March 10, 2002.

Tri-X? In Afghanistan? What a waste!

Actually, I paraphrase the view of the late Raghubir Singh on photographing India. Rob Appleby, who actually knew him, might care to elaborate.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), March 10, 2002.

Mani, I didn't know Raghubir Singh, unfortunately, I only know Mahendra Sinh, who's a better, more sophisticated photographer IMO, even if we argue every time we meet or communicate!

As for someone wandering around the Hindu Kush, that would be anyone's dream today I think, but the fact is that in the present context of total media management by giant conglomerates with bought and sold political agendas, it's unlikely that any freelancer would get anything published. Who could afford to do it?

Given the culture of donation that seems to be growing on this forum, if anyone wants to finance me to go to Mazar-e Sharif and report on the oppression of the Hazaras and their present retaliation against the Pashtun landowner class in the wake of the fall of the Taleban, I'll be very happy to go. One month, 200 rolls of Tri-X. Maybe Jack can organise it... ;-)

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), March 10, 2002.

I attended the lecture given my Philip Jones Griffith at the ICP. Someone (not me) did ask him about equipment. He said he used Leicas for wide angles and Nikons for telephotos. He didn't elaborate any further.

One of the more interesting andecdotes was about how he had to disclipine his film use during the three years he was there -- he simply couldn't carry all a lot of stuff around with him, so he had very little film to use. He recounted that during the Algerian War, he only had 13 rolls of film for an entire month. He said it taught him to be patient and wait for that decisive moment.

At any rate, if you like his work I would highly recommend his other book, Dark Odyssey, which is an overview of his career.

-- Richard (rvle@yahoo.com), March 13, 2002.