Joe Raedle - Photographer in Focus (12-Jun-03)

"I like the idea that you never know what's going to happen tomorrow, what you're going to be shooting - you're not walking into a nine-to-five job." So says Getty Images News

© Joe Raedle

photographer Joe Raedle who covered the Iraq war, receiving wide recognition after being "somewhat injured" during a firefight to take a bridge in Nasiriyah- "I was only there to document the soldiers' lives, so I thought, 'If I'm going to die, I might as well record what happened'".

Getty Images' collections Artist shoots for: Getty Images News and Sport

What made you want to be a photojournalist?
"As a kid I'd look at photo books, National Geographic and things like that: so put simply, it was the power of pictures to communicate, to show people what they might not normally be able to see. That's what it grew out of.

"At high school I developed the interest in photography through workshops and ultimately went on to the University of Miami, where I did a double major in Photography Communication and Sociology.

© Joe Raedle

"University was the only time that I considered doing something other than photography: I tried baseball for a little while, but that didn't really work out. I was playing in Division One and we were National Champions one year. A lot of guys from there go on to the Pros, but I realized I wasn't going to do it."

What is the most demanding shoot you have ever done?
"Most recently was the 'imbed' with the US Marines in Iraq. You're assigned by the Department of Defense to a Company of men, about 200 guys, for the duration. You ride around with them; you document their lives from sunrise to sundown, whatever they're doing. As such, we became very close. And that was a good way to work, as in most stories you want to get as close to the people that you're covering as you can, to be able to get the moments, the unguarded moments, that you couldn't get if you were stepping in for one or two days.

© Joe Raedle

"And the whole reason I was able to do that was because Getty Images had a team of photographers working out there, with everybody concentrating on their own part of the story, which collectively gave us great coverage.

"The Company I was with are coming back to the States in June, after some R&R in Spain - I am hoping to be able to photograph their return."

Can you name a favorite picture, yours and/or someone else's?
"With me, it's not about the single image. To narrow it down to one picture is impossible; to narrow it down to one assignment that was a favorite - then I think the work I did in Iraq would be up there. Likewise, it's hard to narrow it down in the wider photojournalism world. There are so many good photographers, so many great photographers, out there, producing stunning images day-in-day-out."

© Joe Raedle

Who, or what, are the major influences upon your work?
"As a kid, there were different influences to now. I think now it is my colleagues and the competitors; photojournalism is about the news, the daily picture, so obviously the work of your contemporaries influences your photography. In the past, it was people like Robert Capa and W. Eugene Smith.

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