War photographer Ashley Gilbertson's mindset in late 2003 could have been summed up thusly: "If you haven't experienced Iraq, you are a worthless piece of shit."
, which chronicles some of his time in Iraq.Gilbertson is only 30 years old but, luckily for the rest of us innocent bystanders, he’s learned to cope with the insanity that he has witnessed ever since that beleaguered first round. He no longer thinks you deserve to die for not knowing the difference between Shias and Sunnis, but he still probably thinks you’re stupid. (Which you probably are.)Vice: When did you first pick up a camera?
Annons
Ashley Gilbertson:thoughtThere seems to be a continuity in your work—starting with skaters and hoodlums, moving on to refugees, and now documenting a nation that has been devastated by war. You’re drawn to outsiders.
But the transition from skate photographer to war correspondent must have been rough.
You must have learned how to dodge bullets somewhere along the line.Is it possible to be unbiased when you’re worrying about being blown to tiny pieces every 30 seconds?In the first couple years of the war, the media and government made a big deal about embedded journalists. I never really understood how you could be anything else.Have you been desensitized to violence?
Is there something addictive about the kind of work that you do?Are you going back anytime soon?
