This legendary war photographer taught me everything I need to know about strength and resilience

To celebrate a major exhibition of Don McCullin’s work, deputy editor Geoff Harris considers some of the lessons we can all learn from this inspirational nonogenarian photographer

Don McCullin will need no introduction to anyone passionate about photography and 20th century history, and he is well known the world over for his powerful documentary images from some seriously hot hot spots, including Vietnam, Northern Ireland and the Lebanon.

With a big new exhibition of McCullin’s work running from the 14th February to the 12 April at the Hauser and Wirth gallery in Somerset, I wanted to reflect on some of the lessons I’ve learned and inspirations I’ve gained from the great man – and they are not just about photography.

‘Just get on with it’

I have met Don a couple of times over the years, but the first time involved a phone interview. I am not usually starstruck when speaking to famous photographers, but I was this time.

I’ve had a stammer since childhood and while I never let it hold me back professionally, I suddenly became very self conscious about it – and apologised for my lack of fluency.

Don was supportive, but there was no room for mushy stuff – he got to the point quickly, in classic McCullin fashion. ‘Well, I am dyslexic. It’s a damn nuisance, but you just have to get on with it.’

These words have stayed with me over the years, and neatly capture his resilience and focussed attitude to life. As well as dealing with dyslexia – which, he claims, also had an upside, pushing him towards the visual arts – Don’s kept calm and carried on when faced with a range of health issues, from heart surgery to cerebral malaria.

Don’s also gone on the record many times to reveal the mental and emotional toll that his career has taken, and apparently still suffers from sleepless nights. But he carries on regardless, and giving up photography has NEVER been an option.

The ideas of Stoic philosophers are very popular with self-help gurus at the moment, and if you are looking for a stoic photographer, look no further than Don.

His bravery is legendary too. While most of us are unlikely to get shot at, kidnapped, or find ourselves photographing a firefight alongside US Marines, sometimes we need to draw on inner reserves of determination or grit, particularly when doing documentary or street photography (or even sweating in a jungle to get a great bird shot).

Know your camera inside out

Documentary photographers of Don’s generation had to work quickly and under intense pressure in war zones. Not only that, but they were shooting with manual film cameras and sometimes temperamental film, without any of the benefits of autofocus, Auto ISO, huge capacity memory cards, and so on.

To get the conflict shots that made his name, Don had to be totally ‘on it’ when it came to composition, exposure and focussing, and there was no margin for error.

There was no opportunity to review a shot on the LCD and make any necessary adjustments, either; he wouldn’t have found out whether his hard-won pictures had come out or not until they were developed.

So with all the hand-holding provided by modern digital cameras and phones, what excuse do we have for missing a shot as we were fumbling with settings and menus?

Take inspiration from nature (and where you live)

As a fellow resident of Somerset in the UK – though Don’s roots in the county run much deeper than mine – I’ve also been moved by his atmospheric landscape photography. It’s a reminder to never take where you live for granted, and that powerful images can often be found on your doorstep.

In his book The Stillness of Life, he wrote: ‘over the years going to various wars, this corner of Somerset has saved and restored my sanity and given me a sense of balance just witnessing the change of the seasons and soaking up the ensuing peace and silence of the land.’

Don’s continued commitment to film photography and darkroom processing reflects the importance of sometimes taking a ‘slower’ approach to photography, too – and the importance of getting your best work PRINTED rather than leaving it languishing on a hard drive or memory card.

Stand on the shoulders of giants

A frank, thoughtful and eloquent chap, Don’s quotes are usually memorable, and I also recall him saying that he has a massive database of great photographers in his head – which he can draw upon for ideas and inspiration at any time.

This is not to say that he ever COPIES the work of other top photographers, of course, but his comment is another reminder of the importance of getting a good photographic education.

With so much amazing work online, not to mention lots of great exhibitions and a plethora of affordable second-hand photo books, there’s no excuse for being ignorant of how other photographers have approached a similar subject to yours.

To close, it’s also worth noting that the Hauser and Wirth exhibition features Don’s only known self-portrait, showing him amidst a lot of busts and statuary at a reclamation yard back in 1963. Unlike a lot of the loudmouth photography influencers and self-publicists we see on social media these days, he wanted to be judged on the quality of his work.

For full details of the Don McCullin at 90 exhibition at the Hauser and Wirth Gallery in Somerset, click here.