Renowned war photographer shares a snapshot of his life
Authored by Edward (FH4)
Tonbridge proudly welcomed esteemed war photographer and photojournalist, Rick Findler, who delivered an inspiring Seminar to the Lower Sixth on the most fascinating moments of his career. Rick Findler spoke about his gap year (following his time at Wellington College) when he realised, he really enjoyed taking photos of the natural landscape. Despite going on to study psychology at university, he still pursued he continued to pursue photography as a hobby.
After finishing his degree, Rick undertook a Masters at the University of Westminster in photojournalism, whilst working at a bar part-time. One evening, Rick was clearing tables as he came across a man similar in age to him reading a book on Iraq. Rick discovered that this man, Benji, was a journalist planning on travelling there in three weeks’ time to cover a story. After Rick told him about his interest in photojournalism, Benji asked him if he would like to come with him to Iraq. Three weeks later, Rick was interviewing and documenting the Kurdish people of Northern Iraq about their general way of life.
Rick’s career in photojournalism skyrocketed, capturing and reporting key times of conflict including photographing the rebels in Libya, to documenting the rise and fall of ISIS, riots in Hong Kong, Hamas-Israel conflicts, and most recently the US presidential election.
Rick’s talk was both fascinating and deeply engaging for students and teachers alike as he told his story through the power of his photographs. The way in which his career emerged from a simple conversation with a customer in a bar truly shows the unpredictable nature of life and how every opportunity should be taken with most gratitude and enthusiasm, as you never know where you may end up. I would say my key takeaway from the talk was to follow your passion no matter what and always keep doing the things you enjoy.
