True stuff of legends

The Big Read: I may not have my legs but at least I have my good looks." This reported quote by 44-year-old South African war photographer Joao Silva will surely become the stuff of legends.

The inspirational photojournalist and family man was seriously injured last Saturday while on patrol with US troops in Afghanistan while working as a conflict photographer for The New York Times.

What has always amazed me about Silva when I have worked with him is that he never seems to be working hard on assignment.

Although he's always relaxed and in control, he never misses the moment and, time and time again, captures timeless, uncluttered and emotive images, while never losing sight of his humanity.

Cruising in a car with Silva on news jobs, mainly in Johannesburg of late, is always a "photographic masterclass", a dissertation on how to work under pressure and how to weigh up the options that a photographer constantly comes across: should I go closer to the hundreds of angry protestors or stay at a distance? Should we run behind those shacks and come out behind the police? Is it time for the long lens or should we stay short?

Silva is a consummate professional. Never ever have I seen him lose control of himself or the situation, or get too emotionally involved, often the biggest challenge for anybody behind the lens.

He is one of the industry's naturals, completely at ease doing what he loves most: working under pressure on conflict news events. And in doing so, he always seems to be nourished by the process.

The recent injuries Silva suffered and the amazing support he is rightly getting from both the photographic community and members of the public has brought attention to the commitment of contemporary conflict photographers.

In a recent interview, Silva talked frankly to friend and fellow New York Times photographer, Mike Camber, about his emotional and intellectual approach to the dangers of the life of a war photographer.

In an age of the i-reporter and paparazzi, it should be remembered that photographers like Silva are risking their lives every day to bring images of the world's ghastly conflicts to a public who seem to be suffering from an increasingly bad dose of attention deficit disorder.

Within the fast-moving world of the internet age, timeless war images are still being made, and this brings me to an insightfully produced BBC series I recently watched, The Genius of Photography, which includes the work of virtually unknown war photographer, Tony Vaccaro, who shot the most astonishing image of a soldier being killed right in front of his lens.

A US army photographer, Vaccaro covered the Second World War at the same time as Magnum Photos founder and celebrated war photographer Robert Capa.

Vaccaro carried both camera and rifle as he documented the Second World War, not an easy task.

One memorable moment in the interview has him remembering how he ended up developing film in five up-turned army helmets, with chemicals he found in rubble in a bombed photo lab, then leaving the film to dry overnight.

Whether it be developing film in the Second World War or walking on patrol while embedded with US troops, our thoughts should go to those photographers who risk their lives to try to document the ever-increasing conflicts of our age.

In Silva's case I am sure that he will prove as big an inspiration during his rehabilitation and subsequent career as he did before that terrible moment in Afghanistan.

As mutual friend and colleague Jerome Delay of the Associated Press said last week: "Joao is huge, and I only have one word in mind: respect. Even in strife, he teaches us all a lesson . A huge lesson."

And after reading about the recovery of AP photographer, Emilio Morenatti, after he lost his foot in Afghanistan, I am sure that with modern medical care and his indomitable spirit, Silva will be back in the saddle in no time at all.

I, for one, am blessed to have had the opportunity to have worked with Silva, and to learn the craft of the conflict photographer from a man who will continue to be one of the greats.