Capturing History

This week Rick Findler came to speak to pupils about his career as a war photographer as part of the Ignite programme in the Sixth Form. Rick talked about how he got into war photography and the places it has taken him. He also spoke about his desire to remain a freelance photographer so that he can capture what he feels is important for the world to see. Rick was recently in Israel/Palestine covering the ongoing war there which is, of course, a very sensitive and current issue which was extremely though provoking. 

The talk also included topics such as his best friend Benji loosing his legs in Ukraine, women skiers in Afghanistan, the protests in Hong Kong, and the conflict in Syria and Libya.

The pupils were thoroughly engaged in the talk and they asked some really thoughtful questions. 

"This talk was really interesting, he didn’t only show us his pictures but also spoke about his life which is really amazing," said Keryan in Year 12. "I like the fact that he’s a complete freelance guy, his career just started because of a friend said, “come along it will be nice” and he answered yes. He showed us not only photos but also video of the warzones that showed us the reality of war. The difference of atmosphere between photo and video amazing. One is static and shows the action in a frozen moment, the other one shows how much having this shot is actually crazy and the messy atmosphere in which this photo was taken. I really enjoyed this talk and I will definitely follow his work from now on." 

"The talk was incredibly engaging," said Charlie. "I felt that I could have listened to the stories that Rick had to tell for hours on end. I think the lasting thoughts were those of the scale of the insanity required to do such a job, as seen by his continual return to conflict zones, despite knowing full well the risks involved and even having experienced them first hand."