Homemade bombs had been detonated and clips of stolen government guns emptied.

The frontline pushed south, taking a forward position up the mountain, only to retreat back to defensive positions. The Syrian rebels were losing the war and began retreating into Turkey. Jonathan Alpeyrie made sure to keep his head down– snipers could be anywhere.

It was all about calculating the risk. “No picture is worth your life,” said Alpeyrie, photojournalist and conflict photographer.

Associate Director of the Center from Academic Excellence and Adjunct Professor of International studies, Suzanna Klaf, invited Alpeyrie to Fairfield University on Jan. 31st, along with the support of Academic Affairs, English/Journalism, International Studies and the Center for Faith and Public life.

Klaf said she wanted to give Fairfield students an “opportunity to engage with the world … to experience something they normally wouldn’t.”

With every image, students were transported into the middle of a riveting tale of danger and worldly adventure. Senior Sanjida Ahmed described the photos as “powerful” and Alpeyrie’s experiences “motivating.”

Alpeyrie’s work spoke of war stories spanning over a decade, across nine conflict zones. Alpeyrie’s career as a photojournalist has taken him to 25 countries, where he has documented war, migration, religion and everyday life.

With every adventure told came the wisdom of a self-taught photographer. Alpeyrie never took a photography class. He studied medieval history at the University of Chicago. And because of this, he found photography to be one of the best ways to capture history.

When asked if the risk involved in his work was worth it, Alpeyrie responded that his pictures may not cause significant change but they preserve history.

Ahmed agreed, “Wars continue even after the evidence of the horrors have been revealed. Some people are motivated to take action after seeing the photos, and some people choose to shut away those images.”

Alpeyrie characterized his photography as a “give and take.” “You help them by telling their story and they help you by taking you in.”

Alpeyrie worked to capture ordinary moments in the midst of chaos and destruction. “The best picture is capturing everyday life,” explained Alpeyrie.

Klaf felt what made the photos powerful was their ability to help us “connect with the people and their everyday lives” and in this way “capturing the essence of who they are and where they are.”

While Alpeyrie is preserving historical moments, he is risking his life to do so. He openly admitted to being scared for his life in some instances.

In the dangerous field of conflict photography, only your gut can save you, explained Alpeyrie. Alpeyrie described a moment in the Syrian conflict where he intuitively knew he had to get out of there fast. He fled with civilians back into Turkey. The men he was hiding with were killed and dispersed a few hours after he left.

In conflict photography, “It’s all about timing … there has to be an element of luck and I got lucky,” explained Alpeyrie.

These traumatic experiences come with a cost. All the tragedy Alpeyrie has recorded in hospitals and battlefields has given him reoccurring nightmares. “It changes you,” said Alpeyrie.

Alpeyrie describes moments where he thinks to himself, “What the hell am I doing here?” But he said those moments are brief, and soon he goes back to his “hiding spot” and back to documenting history. “But maybe when I am 50, it will all hit me back hard?” questioned Alpeyrie.

To be a conflict photographer you have to detach yourself. “You will know right away if you can’t take it,” said Alpeyrie. In this profession, “You have to be very cold and distance yourself.”

Alpeyrie’s courage and sacrifice gave Ahmed a new perspective on conflict photography. “It is a bit disheartening that celebrity shots are worth more than these war photos,” said Ahmed, after Alpeyrie explained the financial difficulties of his work.

“A war photographer must be so passionate about his job for him to put his life in danger to tell these stories and not be paid efficiently for it,” Ahmed continued.

The students responded strongly to Alpeyrie’s raw honesty about his experiences and profession. His stories peeked the “intellectual curiosity of the students.” Klaf explained this was the underlying purpose of the event: to inspire students to ask questions of themselves and the state of the world.


http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/27/world/meast/syria-photographer

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