War photography, the details? -

For an research assignment we have to investigate into a specialist field of location photography. I have chosen war, as many of the images I find are interesting and show the truth behind what is really happening. For this I have several questions to answer, I was wondering if it would be possible for anyone to help me. I was wondering whether you d be able to help me answer a few questions on what to consider whilst taking photographs in this environment, as i feel you portray the current war in a fascinating and captivating way. - How do you earn money? - The lighting? natural, reflected, flash (diffused/bounced/etc)? How do they cope with low light. - Transport available? - The essential equipment needed? - What camera would be suitable to shoot on? - Any filters? - How do you protect your camera, memory cards/film from weapons/people/weather? - The risks involved? - How to deal with copyrighting? I d appreciate it if anyone could help|::::|I too am very interested in war photography, so I ll try help you out here as much as I can: - How do you earn money? - Traditionally, you would freelance and submit photos to the big agencies, such as AP, Reuters, etc. however once you are recognised as being a proficient photographer, large magazines may choose to assign you to a story. - The lighting? natural, reflected, flash (diffused/bounced/etc)? How do they cope with low light. - Natural lighting, and flash are primarily used by photojournalists. Reflected light, maybe, but it isn t all that common. - Transport available? - This greatly depends on who you work for. When you are freelancing, I believe that most of the time, you are responsible for your living conditions, transportation, food, etc. I remember reading in quot;The Bang Bang Clubquot; (Fantastic book) about how Newsweek has a system set up that makes them less liable for any injury you may get, and that they don t supply bullet proof vehicles. Times, however, does. - The essential equipment needed? - Normally, a dSLR with a few high quality lenses, one wide, one telephoto zoom, and a few primes (If needed). I usually see this setup on Canon-ites; Camera Body (I ve seen 400Ds to 1Ds used) 16-35mm f/2.6 50mm f/1.4 70-200mm IS f/2.8 Sometimes a 24-70mm f/2.8 instead of the 16-35, but you get the focal length ideas, right? But, you don t need any SLR or rangefinder, I ve seen AMAZING shots from a bridge camera (glorified Point and Shoot), see my sources section. - What camera would be suitable to shoot on? -As I said earlier, any camera, but the ideal is a small, rugged, weather proof camera, such as the Nikon D300, the Canon 5D mark II. Larger bodies are also used, like the 1D series and the D3.In the film days, the Canon 1v and Nikon FE2 were good examples of rugged, light bodies. - Any filters? -Many invest in UV filters to protect the front element of the lens, which is a very wise choice. ND filters are also used, for when the photographer wants to use a large aperture in a bright setting. I believe polarisers are also used. - How do you protect your camera, memory cards/film from weapons/people/weather? - Keep your camera close, keep an eye out on people around you. If you are using film and there is a particular roll you feel is too valuable, you could make a small place for it in a boot sole (Strange idea, I know). Most people keep their film and memory cards either at their residence, or on their person (In pouches, vest jackets, bags, etc). Many photographers recomend small, cheap looking bags (I quote quot;...one that doesn t scream 4k worth of equipmentquot;) to carry their cameras and equipment in. As for weather, depending on the location, the photographer may or may not bring a rainproof sheet with him to protect himself and his gear from rain. - The risks involved? - Getting shot, and having emotional scars and issues. Detachment from quot;normalquot; life, depression and frustration. - How to deal with copyrighting? - Since an image is copyrighted the moment you take the shot, this shouldn t be hard. I think that when you submit a shot to an agency, the copyright is split between you and them. I think the same goes for magazines.|::::|you have chosen a nice research work , i wish to become a war photographer but don t know how to go about it ., so if possible mail me your research work once its done . thanks . happy weekend