Four professionals talk about their profession, their motivations, but also for fear and ethics.
by
Some 2,000 photographers have visited Ukraine since February 24, the day of the invasion by Russian troops. An unprecedented influx. To testify to horror, history … for adrenaline too. Professionals do not hide it in front of the camera of Julien Boluen and Frédéric Decossas, who followed four of them: Guillaume Binet (49, freelance, co-founder in 2005 of the Myop agency), Guillaume Herbaut ( 51 years old, agency Vu), Chloe Sharrock (30 years old, Myop agency) and Eric Bouvet (61 years old, Myop agency).
On the field or in front of the most emblematic images, each delivers their vision of the profession, their motivations, but also their management of fear and self -censorship in the face of horror, with sincerity that gives all its beauty to the Film.
“I was delighted. It is fascinating and extremely important: we are making the first draft in history, as we say,” enthuses Chloe Sharrock, sent six weeks between kyiv and Kharkiv by Le Monde, for its first “real -time conflict”.
In reality, on February 24, the day of the Russian invasion, the first images were provided by the smartphones of individuals, relegating professionals to the rank of second witnesses of history. Which obliges them to reaffirm their legitimacy, based on contextualization and technique.
“freedom”
“The very big story in images will be made by photographers [professionals]”, Guillaume Herbaut is convinced of this, even if he did not want to go to Ukraine on February 24: not enough perspective, judge -Al, and too many photographers. Among them, many are freelance. This is the case of Guillaume Binet, who shows here good and less good sides of this “freedom”.
Many still met in the same places: near the Irpin bridge, where the evacuation of civilians is given in pasture to the journalists; At the endcha, when a common pit is discovered. A photo in a wide plan showing the photographers agglutinated behind the safety cordon is also controversial.
“Look at the herd of journalists. It makes me crazy”, gets carried away Eric Bouvet. Photojournalist for forty years, he covered conflicts in Chechnya, Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan…
Among his many award -winning images, that of a young insurgent, Vasyl Galamaï, during the Maidan square revolt in kyiv, in 2014. Eight years later, Polka magazine sent Bouvet on site to find him . A complex quest that mobilizes all its experience: “The photos on front lines are very, very rare. Because (…) it is disturbing to have witnesses.” At 8 e day of day War, on crowded quays, in the midst of crying and families trying to flee, the reporter seems tired: “I don’t want to put a camera under the nose.”
Question of dignity. The same, he will explain later, which forbids him to photograph certain atrocious scenes. Before wondering: “Who would have testified to the existence of the Nazi camps if the Americans had not made any images?” He who lived the fall of the Berlin Wall and shakes the hand of Nelson Mandela to his Released from prison, suddenly realizes: “It’s still better than living it from your sofa!”