Max Becherer update...
I
was delighted to get a note from Max Becherer this
morning. I have planted the seed of thought with Max
to begin to prepare a five year retrospective
photojournalism exhibit for next year. Max has been
in Iraq since the initial days of "Shock and Awe" and
has made a career of globetrotting to the hot spots
on the planet. But let Max speak for himself:
"Hi John!
So good to hear from you. I hope you are having a
great New Year! I am in Cairo, Egypt at the moment
but should be heading to Iraq for the Provincial
Elections later this month. I also think it will be a
good place to be when Obama takes office. I was up at
the Egyptian Border with Gaza last week and watched
as Israeli bombs blow up the tunnels and as the
Palestinian wounded came over on their way to
Egyptian hospitals. It was a difficult scene. I was
waiting for a chance to enter Gaza but they are
keeping a tight lid on things there.
So, your idea sounds great. I would love to do a five
year retrospective. There are so many ways we could
go with it for sure. I have a portfolio book of
images I collected from the last five years.
Last year I started covering the elections in
Pakistan. It was interesting and I was even able to
head up to Peshawar where the North West Territory
begins. What a wild place. In any case, I was in Iraq
at the last part of this year for the New York Times
and then did an assignment about Samarra for the
Smithsonian Magazine which is on newsstands now. This
week I head to Baghdad for a month and then in April
I will be in Afghanistan where things are expected to
be difficult this year. That is all for now.Thanks
for checking in with me. I hope we get to see each
other soon. Say hello to the crew for me!
Best,
Max"