Goran Tomasevic on war and photography

War and photography, whether it’s in Syria, former Yugoslavia or World War II, hasn’t changed much, says prize-winning photographer Goran Tomasevic, subject of a Reuters showcase marking 20 years of covering combat.

Recently returned from Damascus where he covered the rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad, Tomasevic says: “I don’t see much change, I don’t believe it was much more different in the Second World War... the changing of light all the time, extreme highlights, extreme shadows, and then the extreme situation...

“When the combat operations start, for me there is no way back... I would be ashamed of myself not going to the end... When you’re in a combat or something, I’m most of the time focussed on pictures or keeping myself safe and if I’m working with colleagues, also helping them stay safe but I’m trying to minimise the risk as much as I can... So I’m trying to stay as long as I can in the field and I want to show the reality and I want to show exactly how it was with my pictures.”

Images shot by the Belgrade-born photographer in Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Libya and Syria appear in a four-minute video on YouTube.

VIDEO 20 years covering combat - Goran Tomasevic ■