Hide and seek

Fish tank on a shop floor in York

The gusts of wind were rattling and banging the windows of the house last night as though mother nature was venting her fury at anyone who'd listen. The noise reminded me of a saying i read about recently. Ho Chi Minh, a hero of the Vietminh during the 1950's and later national leader of North Vietnam once said that 'you must be like bamboo and flow with the wind - if you stand upright and fight it - it will only break you'.

From the many blogs I've read this month, one theme stands out - a lot of people feel like bamboo in strong wind, battered and bruised by the events taking place around them.

One question that is often asked about photojournalists is how do they come to terms with the events they are witnessing, often violent and at close range. The answer is usually a simple one. The camera physically and psychologically acts as a barrier, a form of defence from the horrors they may be witnessing. All photographers suffer from this regardless of what field of photography they are in. Once behind the camera they feel safe.

One photographer in Iraq recently commented about using a new small Leica digital camera. He was use to the big modern pro Canon/Nikon types which he stated were 'better to hide behind when the action started'. That statement says as much about the photographer's psychology as it does about the various camera sizes.