Hey, I've done a lot of research, but there is very little info out there on how to start going about becoming a combat photographer. I love action photography and photojournalism and have always been in awe of potographs that come from war zones. So now that I'm finishing up my junior year of high school I really want to start looking into some of the photography fields I have deep interests in. So I'm not expecting a lot of responses to this because I know how small this field is in photography, but I also know there a lot of military people out there. So if the 365 community could help me that would be awesome!
P.S. If your only going to comment about going to a recruiter or something, I already know that, I want to know if theres any personal knowledge or expierence that photographers could tell me on here.
I am not a combat photographer but I am in the military. You are on the right track to get there, don't take no for an answer even if you have to wait a while for a slot to open up. While you are waiting gain as much skill and knowledge as you can about photography so when you go to the combat photog school you will have an easier time then if you wait for them to teach you basic photog skills. That is whay you will learn, the rest you are expected to learn on the job.
Look at all the photojournalism sites you can and try to figure out why the award winning/popular photos are that way. I will tell you that one reason is because the photog didn't hesitate to involve themselves in what was going on. They didn't shoot from the outside looking in, they shot from the middle of whatever it was.
I have seen "combat" photographers that didn't want to go out on a patrol and when they did, didn't get far from the vehicle or the guy in charge. They didn't get any worthwhile shots either, IMO. Whatever it is get involved, even if its not a "sexy" mission you are covering. @jasonbarnette is a photojournalist as are other on this site.He could help you in that aspect if you are willing to listen. If you study everything you can about photojournalism and apply that to the military you will have a lot of fun and gain enjoyment out of your job, plus you might just end up in the right place at the right time to get "the shot".
Kody, at one time I wanted to do the same. I get a thrill from shooting photos in dangerous locations or situations. Today, I routinely track tornadoes, severe lightning storms, and hurricanes for photojournalism and photo opportunities. Not the same as a combat photographer, but I enjoy the thrill all the same.
I did a lot of research, spoke with a lot of people both in photojournalism and the military, and here are the answers I got.
There are only two ways to become a combat photographer: join the military, or work for a well-respected newspaper or magazine. This is not something you can do freelance nor can you do it without some serious backing.
First, if you join the military you have the option of training as a combat photographer. A few months ago I shot photos at the Charleston Air Expo at Joint Base Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina. There, I met a group of about 20 Air Force combat photographers. I had a wonderful time chatting with them throughout the day and learned a lot about how they got there. In fact, none of them actually wanted to be combat photographers. They had chosen police, bomb squad, air fleet, one of a dozen other options. But, when you join the military, you list three choices and combat photography was their third choice, resulting in this assignment. You don't really control this assignment, at least not at first, which can make it difficult to become a combat photographer while a member of the armed services.
The second way is to become a photojournalist for a well-respected newspaper or magazine. It doesn't have to be the New York Times or LIFE Magazine, my local newspaper in Wilmington, North Carolina last year sent a photographer to embed with a Marine unit for a month. Newspapers and magazines routinely work with the military to document the lives of members of the armed services, but again this is not something you can control. It will take a few years to earn enough credit and respect with the newspaper staff before you could even approach this subject.
In short, there is no way you can just jump on a bandwagon and become a combat photographer. Either way you choose will take years of dedication and training before you will even have the first chance to join a unit in a war zone.
I wish you the best of luck with it all. And as @shadesofgrey said, go ahead and start learning now. Study every war photographer and award-winning photo from a war zone you possibly can, and then shoot the same style in your neighborhood. No reason you can't practice this type of photography with a local adult league baseball team or your local fire department.
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Look at all the photojournalism sites you can and try to figure out why the award winning/popular photos are that way. I will tell you that one reason is because the photog didn't hesitate to involve themselves in what was going on. They didn't shoot from the outside looking in, they shot from the middle of whatever it was.
I have seen "combat" photographers that didn't want to go out on a patrol and when they did, didn't get far from the vehicle or the guy in charge. They didn't get any worthwhile shots either, IMO. Whatever it is get involved, even if its not a "sexy" mission you are covering. @jasonbarnette is a photojournalist as are other on this site.He could help you in that aspect if you are willing to listen. If you study everything you can about photojournalism and apply that to the military you will have a lot of fun and gain enjoyment out of your job, plus you might just end up in the right place at the right time to get "the shot".
I did a lot of research, spoke with a lot of people both in photojournalism and the military, and here are the answers I got.
There are only two ways to become a combat photographer: join the military, or work for a well-respected newspaper or magazine. This is not something you can do freelance nor can you do it without some serious backing.
First, if you join the military you have the option of training as a combat photographer. A few months ago I shot photos at the Charleston Air Expo at Joint Base Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina. There, I met a group of about 20 Air Force combat photographers. I had a wonderful time chatting with them throughout the day and learned a lot about how they got there. In fact, none of them actually wanted to be combat photographers. They had chosen police, bomb squad, air fleet, one of a dozen other options. But, when you join the military, you list three choices and combat photography was their third choice, resulting in this assignment. You don't really control this assignment, at least not at first, which can make it difficult to become a combat photographer while a member of the armed services.
The second way is to become a photojournalist for a well-respected newspaper or magazine. It doesn't have to be the New York Times or LIFE Magazine, my local newspaper in Wilmington, North Carolina last year sent a photographer to embed with a Marine unit for a month. Newspapers and magazines routinely work with the military to document the lives of members of the armed services, but again this is not something you can control. It will take a few years to earn enough credit and respect with the newspaper staff before you could even approach this subject.
In short, there is no way you can just jump on a bandwagon and become a combat photographer. Either way you choose will take years of dedication and training before you will even have the first chance to join a unit in a war zone.
I wish you the best of luck with it all. And as @shadesofgrey said, go ahead and start learning now. Study every war photographer and award-winning photo from a war zone you possibly can, and then shoot the same style in your neighborhood. No reason you can't practice this type of photography with a local adult league baseball team or your local fire department.