Military Photographer?

DanielB · February 20, 2006

okay, so ever since i was little i've wanted to be in the Marine Corps and i've always been interested in Photography... and i know there are in-the-field military photographers... so i figure that owuld be best for me, then i could go to college after my years are finished serving.

so do you know of any websites that are of Military photographers that i could go to, to look at what i would be getting myself into:dunno

thanks guys,

Daniel

SCS_Photo · February 21, 2006

They won't let you in with that 'doo.

Anyway... you might try contacting this guy: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,7796595~days=9999~start=510#15251880

DanielB · February 21, 2006

SCS_Photo wrote:

They won't let you in with that 'doo.

thanks man, but which guy

SCS_Photo · February 21, 2006

DanielB wrote:

thanks man, but which guy

The link should send you to the middle of the page... guy goes buy guscomcam, and is an Army Photographer in training. Hasn't been on dslr for 4 days... I'll see if I can email him the link to this thread through dslr.

dragon300zx · February 21, 2006

DanielB wrote:

thanks man, but which guy

I hate to break it to you cause even though I seem like a jerk most of the time, and don't get me wrong I do enjoy it, I don't like trouncing on other peoples dreams but......

At this point the main focus for you should be working with your doctor and figuring out what is going to happen with your SBO. A back problem, surgeries, etc, can all disqualify you from the military. Even their photojournalists, etc all have to go through basic's and be in great health. That and this is a field that gets alot of interest which makes getting in not as easy. As least this is what the reqruiter I was talking to told me. And although the recruiter will promise to try and get you into the profession you want it doesn't always work out that way, and I have had alot of friends find that out the hard way.

I think the military is great and I seriously looked into it at one point, but can you handle never being in control of your life, being goverment property, and having to do things you don't believe in?

There are alot of great things that can come from being in the military and alot of bad things depending on how a person looks at life and handles things. Check out military.com, americasarmy.com (which is a really cool game and I highly recommend you try shooting the sargent when you are on the shooting range), and each divisions site. You can also email a recruiter through each branches site and check into the SBO as to whether or not that is a automatic DQ, but I am pretty sure it is.

gus · February 21, 2006

Yep ..what dragon zxr350002135 said. They wont touch you if there is the smallest chance of you being a medical liability.

Then there is the psyc tests....god only know how i got through that bit

I just told 'em i like wearing gladiator armour.

There is also this chap to talk to...he would know the deal i assume.

Angelo · February 21, 2006

Daniel-san, talk to this guy:

http://www.dgrin.com/member.php?u=1380

cabbey · February 21, 2006

I'll just add one second hand experience to the thread, wish I didn't have to, would rather not. When I was in high school I was taking photo classes at the local college, one of the students there was JROTC and all that jazz, and a really great photog. He went to the local recruiters and they talked him up big time about being able to get the right MOS to be a field photographer, or even an ariel photographer, which sounded even better to him. They told him all the things he wanted to hear, gave him all the right promises. When he actually got in and finished with basic training, they put him right into an advanced training course. He learned how to change tires for jet aircraft, and how to service landing gear assemblies. Why? because that's what the airforce needed that fall. After nearly 2 years of trying to get into some kind of position he actually wanted he finally manged to get someone that told him point blank that the list for those kinds of training was hundred of names long, and it would likely be a decade or more that he would have to be the best flight line mechanic in the air force before he would even be considered for that training, let alone a position doing that. He finished his tour of duty changing tires and shooting off duty shots of the officers playing golf for them to hang in their office. The last time I talked to him, he had been discharged for several months and was trying to figure out how to get into an art school somewhere on the east coast... by now he would have graduated from there, but I've long lost touch with him since then.

Does the Army or Marine Corps behave any differently? Possibly. But I doubt it... I currently work with a former Army guy. The Army trained him in Comp Sci, and pretty well I might add, he's quite good at what he does, and he seems to enjoy it, but he wanted to be an engineer... like a civil engineer... build bridges, damns, drainage that kinda thing. But that's not what the Army needed when he enlisted, so they sent him to UW (I think, or one of those universities out there in the pacific northwest) for 4 years first, then had him designing software for them for a number of years (8 I think, maybe more).

Mike Lane · February 21, 2006

Marine (or Army) = long ass tour in Iraq after long ass tour in Iraq. Enlisting in the marines = grunt = kicking in doors and taking roadside bombs in the face. Ooorah. Listen, far be it from me to say what a guy will and won't like. I got to spend 3 months in Iraq Army style (minus the messy killing) and I can tell you without a doubt, it is FAR better to be where the US Air Force is. Food's better, Gym's better, 3 beers a day, no PTSD, limbs in tact, etc.

If you're all thrust and no vector, give the marines a go. If you've got dreams of being more than a number, I'd stay away from the Marines and the Army. far, FAR away.

You want to be a combat camera guy? Join the Air Force Reserves. Get yourself into the only combat camera squadron in the AF Reserves at March AFB (http://www.afreserve.com/bases.asp?id=48). You'd be allowed to hop on to any plane in the inventory and go anywhere to take pics. You'll get your own sweet camera and gear to along with it, plus you'll have a life. And don't be fooled, you'd be the envy of 98% of the Marines and the Army guys out there. They may call you names, but they'd give their right nut to be in your shoes.

Better yet, go to college, get a BFA in digital media or photography and then get your MFA in the same. Earn the big bucks after that. Screw the military.

flyingpylon · February 21, 2006

I think the military is great and I seriously looked into it at one point, but can you handle never being in control of your life, being goverment property, and having to do things you don't believe in?

Ha... if you don't want that, don't join the corporate world either!

Screw the military.

DanielB- don't screw the military, it hasn't done anything to you. However it has already done things FOR you that you probably take for granted or may never realize. If you were to join some branch of the military it would do things both FOR you and TO you. It can be a double-edged sword in many respects. The military serves a greater purpose than that of one individual. That said, individuals have the potential to benefit greatly from military service.

I agree with Mike that military service most likely means an all-expense paid trip to Iraq sooner or later. You have to be realistic about that. If you've always wanted to be in the Marine Corps then you've probably also considered the fact that you could face combat. I have a brother-in-law in the Marine Corps that just went back to Iraq for his second tour. He's been a Marine for 18 years, loves it, and he *wants* to be doing his job in Iraq. Maybe you would too... who knows, it's up to each individual.

At any rate, there are no guarantees in life and certainly no recruiter can guarantee much of anything. And even if they do, the needs of the military can change in an instant. Be very very careful about that. Realize that when you join the military, it's not all about you.

Since others have shared negative stories, let me offer a positive one. A high school classmate of mine wanted to be an Army helicopter pilot. He enlisted after his recruiter convinced him that starting out as a helicopter mechanic was the way to go. I wished him luck but told him he was nuts and that he'd be a mechanic for the rest of his career. We lost touch but several years later I bumped into him at Ft. Drum in upstate New York, where he offered me a ride in HIS helicopter. It was a beautiful ride over the lake region, followed by a hair-raising ride from hell once we got back over Army property. I think that was his way of telling me "told ya so".

There is someone named Mark Rebilas that hangs out at SportsShooter.com who either used to be or still is a Navy photographer. You might try getting in touch with him. Here is a link to his profile page http://www.sportsshooter.com/members.html?id=832

This reply has gotten longer than I intended but I hope it's helpful in some way. If you have health issues of some kind then definitely get those figured out first. Good luck, and remember that it's only your own hard work and effort that will eventually put you where you want to be.

dragon300zx · February 21, 2006

flyingpylon wrote:

Ha... if you don't want that, don't join the corporate world either!

You can quite the corporate world whenever you want. Not so with the military.

Besides I didn't say it was all bad. I was giving him a heads up on the reality of it though.

luckyrwe · February 21, 2006

I am back in the Army again...not as a photographer though. I know a USAF photographer, and it doesn't get any beter than that. I sent him the link to this thread. I sure wish I had been smart enough to go Air Force!

Mike Lane · February 21, 2006

luckyrwe wrote:

I am back in the Army again...not as a photographer though. I know a USAF photographer, and it doesn't get any beter than that. I sent him the link to this thread. I sure wish I had been smart enough to go Air Force!

See? Told ya!

flyingpylon · February 21, 2006

Yeah, in the Army we used to joke that when the Air Force builds a new base, they build the golf course, the officer's club, the pool, the gymnasium, the BX...

... and THEN they figure out where to put the runways.

Mike Lane · February 21, 2006

flyingpylon wrote:

Yeah, in the Army we used to joke that when the Air Force builds a new base, they build the golf course, the officer's club, the pool, the gymnasium, the BX...

... and THEN they figure out where to put the runways.

Priorities man, priorities!

luckyrwe · February 21, 2006

I did have the pleasure of being a photographer for the Department of Defense for seven years before this mobilization came up. :help

DanielB · February 21, 2006

so the general concensus is that the Chairforce is better than the rest of them? i've always dreamed of being on the front lines, defending my country, AND getting it all on film (or in this case CMOS censor:D ) and sharing my experiences with my friends and family.

My Dad was in the 101st Airborn division in the army on ReCon work, and was later sent to an island in the South Pacific called Johnson Atoll because some guys put a bomb on his car and he had to leave for safety reasons...

My grandpa was in World War II and was one of the first soldiers to enter the Dachau Concentration Camp...

i've heard stories of valor, defeat, honor, and sorrow. i know the gnitty gritty, i know about boot-camp, and personally if they kick me out just because of my back condition. i'll just try all the harder to get in.

call me a fanatic but even though i don't agree with some of the things Bush does, i look at it as serving my Countrymen, not the President...

i'll look into that and e-mail some people, thank you all for your concern and i would very much love to hear the rest of your side of the story.

Daniel

Mike Lane · February 21, 2006

Don't tell these guys (STS controllers - Air Force Special Operations) that they're in the Chair Force. They'll eat your lunch.

DanielB · February 21, 2006

Mike Lane wrote:

They'll eat your lunch.

ohhh, i like ur pic. that dry ground gets me hungry for a TS-E lense with some mean foreground textures/background mountains :eat

GusComCam · February 21, 2006

Hello
Thanks SCSphotography for emailing me this thread. I'm Gus, currently training as a Combat Documentation Specialist right here at DINFOS. First let me tell you guys a bit about myself. I was an artillery man for 3 years active in the Army. Now I got the chance to reclass into combat camera. The Army is the only service that will train you in both photography and video. Gotta go to formation, I will post more later.

StevenV · February 21, 2006

another mil pic for your pleasure, on my weblog.

crossing our fingers, knocking on wood, etc. etc. he should be home in the next couple of weeks.

ReneesEyes · February 21, 2006

Daniel,

I don't know what kind of back problems you have, but even if you were able to enlist it would only make your back worse. I had some scoliosis that they apparently missed. I only weigh about 100 lbs and had to carry duffel bags full of stuff that weighed as much as me or more, tote machine guns around, stuff like that. When I enlisted, it was the summer between my junior and senior year of HS. I took the supply specialist MOS, cause that was the closest unit to my house and I didn't have a ride. Anyways, after I signed up Desert Storm started. 6 days after my graduation I went off to basic training, then supply school (where I met my future husband) anyways, by the time I was done the war was over and I decided to go full time active duty. They told me my MOS was not needed active duty, so they offered me cook (are you crazy even though that's what my husband was), parachute rigger (sounds great but I fractured my leg in basic and wouldn't be able to finish airborne school), watercraft engineer/operator...yeah...but the workload involves heavy lifting. They told me, don't worry, you'll have lots of guys around to help you, I said, I don't think so. So I was there for like 15 hours or something and FINALLY a 91N slot opened--EKG tech. Heart stuff. I took it out of sheer exhaustion. I ended up liking it and having a great skill that transferred to the outside after I had served for about 9 years. But now I go to the chiropractor regularly.

I did like the Army, but the joke always was about how the Air Force is so much nicer, better food, quarters, uniforms, etc. How they don't do pushups, blah blah blah.

I guess I can't tell you much about photography in the military, but if you really want to serve your country and feel strongly about that don't let anyone talk you out of it. The only way you'll know if they have what you want and if they can take you with your back trouble is to visit the recruiter. Do know though that they are under quotas and can be a bit "high-pressured" :gun2

Good luck and let us know!

Renee

Awais Yaqub · February 21, 2006

wow daniel i also want to be a similer type of photographer

have you seen photography by "Reza" blasting show on nat geo

he covered wars like "Afgahnistan" some very touching heart melting shots

anyone know his web ?

i also have back problem i simily forget when i have my camera in my hand i feel some pain after standing for long time or sitting for long time

wxwax · February 21, 2006

GusComCam wrote:

Thanks SCSphotography for emailing me this thread. I'm Gus, currently training as a Combat Documentation Specialist right here at DINFOS. First let me tell you guys a bit about myself. I was an artillery man for 3 years active in the Army. Now I got the chance to reclass into combat camera. The Army is the only service that will train you in both photography and video. Gotta go to formation, I will post more later.

Hi Gus.

Great to have you here sharing info about your deal. Can't wait to hear more... and see some of your shots.

GusComCam · February 21, 2006

Hi
Thanks for the welcome. I don't have a lot of pictures to show off. Here's one it might be interesting. I took this picture with a Canon SureShot in Afghanistan.

DanielB · February 21, 2006

sweet photo man, especially for a P&S

i'm going through an Airforce and a Marines pamphlet and man is there some outstanding photography in these things...

StevenV · February 21, 2006

USMC Photog
I pointed to this guy before, he's got the job.

Lots more images available too.

Onrey · February 21, 2006

Daniel,
Sounds like from your family military history that you have a good understanding of the military. think on everyones advice but in the end do what you want to do... If it turns out good or bad, then thats your personal experience and learned your way. Sometimes its the hardest way to learn but is also many times the best way.

Now for the reason I wanted to respond to you and this is exactly what your looking for, trust me. I have a friend (good aquainance) I spoke to him at lunch today before he headed out back to IRAQ. He is a Marine 15 plus years, Im not sure what all he is qualified as but I do know he is a sniper scout, and he is also a combat photographer, I think he is pretty far up in that command becouse he told me he convinced the marines to change over to Canon DSLR's, he told me the kit each one is given and its extremley impressive but I cant remember all the details. I told him about you and your thread and he gave me his e-mail and said he would love to talk to you. Just like GusCommCam, he can give you the REAL LIFE inside story of a marine photographer, what he went thru ect ect. Hope he can answer any Questions you might have or give you sound advice.

Good luck,

DanielB · February 21, 2006

Onrey wrote:

His name is Jeff Foster
E-mail is: JSFosterUSMC@gmail.com

thanks a ton man

Mike A · February 23, 2006

Daniel,

I've looked through your site and I am sure whatever you do you will do great, your photos are excellent. I separated from the Air Force about 1.5yrs ago. One of the groups in my squadron were the photographers. I was always envious of their jobs. In the AF I believe photo/video are separate career fields but in their office everyone did everything. They were always traveling around to exciting places taking photos. The only negative thing from my point of view was the possibility of getting a bad assignment. For example, one of the guys in that office in Germany moved from San Antonio. His job their was to photograph people/kids at the hospital that had been abused. He did that for 3yrs. So there is a chance your work will not tap your creativity.

When I went into the Air Force your career field was in your contract and you were guaranteed that job. The only other service I am sure about is the Army, they guarantee you the training but not the job. So you may get the training you sign up for but end up doing something totally different.

If your main focus is becoming a good photographer I would seriously look at the Air Force, the normal living conditions are 1000x better then any other branch also. Anytime we had other branches on our base they talked about how nice everything was and how we were so lucky. That particular base wasn't even that nice by Air Force standards.

But if your main focus is to become a photographer look at school just as hard, or harder then the military.

DanielB · February 23, 2006

Thank Mike

i'll be talking to some friends of my dad who are in the Airforce, also is it true that if you're in the airforce you can basicly fly anywhere in the world real cheap? all you gotta do is ask around for empty space

thanks,

Daniel

Military Photographer?

Comments