IRAQ:
EYEWITNESS TO WAR

A PHOTOJOURNALIST'S DIARY

A book by Robert J. Galbraith

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The Author

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Q. How can I reach the author?

A. I can be contacted by email at eyewitnesstowar@yahoo.com

Q. How were you affected by the rigours of war-time travel?

A. I lost 36 pounds during my five weeks of coverage in Iraq, Jordan and Kuwait.

Q. Did you ever get into trouble in your travels in the Persian Gulf?

A. In 1991 in Saudi Arabia, while 50 miles from the Kuwaiti border, my colleague and I were arrested as Russian spies by Saudi Arabian soldiers, after they noticed that my binoculars (made in Russia and bought at a sports store in Montreal, Canada) had the Russian manufacturer's logo on them. As we were being led to a cell in the mud-brick outpost, a Kuwaiti Air Force officer, who we had met the day before and had a coffee with, drove past the building and noticed our vehicle parked outside. Stopping, he entered the building and demanded our release, which was immediately granted. We followed the officer in the direction of Kuwait City, but we soon fell behind him as he pushed the speedometer to over 100 miles an hour.

Q. Did you ever come close to getting killed?

A. When we arrived in Kuwait City during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, it was at night and pitch black because of no electric power. A number of buildings were ablaze and it was a very dangerous situation to be driving around in. We slept in a parking lot after deciding it would be too damp to sleep on the beach. In the morning we awoke to see the beach was heavily mined with anti-personal mines. A night wind had blown the sand off the mines. Part of the minefield was fenced-off and had warning signs, though the fence near us had blown down. We would have been killed had we decided to go onto the beach to sleep that night. While in Iraq in 2003, there were several other close calls which are described in detail in the book.

Q. How many words and photos are there in the book?

A. Eyewitness has over 600 color photographs and 100,000 words of text.

Q. How did you get the book published?

A. Eyewitness was written, photographed, self-financed and published by the author.

Q. How has digital photography affected your profession?

A. Digital camera and satellite technology have revolutionized photojournalism. While camera film needs to be developed in liquid chemicals and water at a precise high temperature, digital cameras have no need for chemicals and heaters, therefore less weight and no need to set-up a portable darkroom (which was usually done in a hotel bathroom). Now the war photojournalist carries a digital camera, a satellite telephone and a laptop computer to instantly transmit photos and text to any e-mail address in the world, in a matter of seconds. Not only does this mean the information arrives at the news agency quicker, but it has given the war journalist much more mobility, therefore making it safer for us to do our job.

Q. Any advice for the would-be photojournalist?

A: Being humble and extremely polite can often lead to a more open and honest interview and shoot. Never swear, or speak ill of anyone during an interview. Make no distinction between social status, in other words, conduct an interview with as much respect for the poor man as you would the rich man.

Q. How did you get started in photojournalism?

A. I always had a great interest in nature and started photographing plants, bugs and birds in the early 1980šs. In the mid-eighties I worked with the peregrine falcon reintroduction program in Montreal, Vermont and New York. It was through my photography of the nesting behavior of the peregrine that I refined my eye. In 1988 I happened to drop by the office of the Montreal Daily News and was hired as a feature photographer.

Q. Do you have formal training as a journalist?

A. I have had no formal training in either photography or journalism and am a steel worker by trade.