John D McHugh
Encyclopedia
John D McHugh is an Irish
photojournalist and filmmaker, and is based in London, England.
and The Guardian
newspaper before becoming a staff photographer at Agence France-Presse
in 2005. In 2007 he resigned his position and once again became a freelancer.
since the start of 2006. He was one of the first journalists to cover the Canadian deployment in Kandahar, and witnessed and photographed one of their very first operations to raid a bomb-making facility. The Canadians captured 10 Taliban suspects, and McHugh’s photographs caused a controversy in Canada.
He was the first journalist to spend time with British forces after they took command of the southern Afghan province of Helmand in May 2006. His photographs of foot patrols through Lashkar Gah and of British soldiers silhouetted as they stand on a fort built by Alexander the Great were some of the first photographs that the British public saw from Helmand.
In 2007, McHugh embarked on a nine-month embed with US troops in Afghanistan. Just five weeks into his trip, the unit he was with was caught in an ambush. 18 soldiers were killed and 11 wounded. McHugh was also wounded, shot through the chest.
Six months later, he had recovered and returned to Afghanistan. He talks about childhood lessons of getting back on horses that threw him when explaining his reason for returning to Afghanistan after his injury.
In 2008 The Guardian commissioned McHugh to produce a series initially entitled “Fighting Season” but subsequently renamed John D McHugh in Afghanistan which included photography, audio slideshows, short documentary films, and blogs. The project involved spending months living with the soldiers under fire along the border with Pakistan.
In 2007 he won the Frontline Club
Award, which focuses on “journalistic integrity, courage and the independence of spirit” for his work in Afghanistan.
2009 saw McHugh’s film Combat Outpost nominated for The Rory Peck Award
for News.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
photojournalist and filmmaker, and is based in London, England.
Early life
McHugh was born in London to Irish parents. Moving back to Ireland when he was an infant, he grew up in a rural farming community. He returned to London in 1997, and in 2002 he began working as a photojournalist. He freelanced for The Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper before becoming a staff photographer at Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
in 2005. In 2007 he resigned his position and once again became a freelancer.
Photography
Self-taught, McHugh has worked extensively in AfghanistanAfghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
since the start of 2006. He was one of the first journalists to cover the Canadian deployment in Kandahar, and witnessed and photographed one of their very first operations to raid a bomb-making facility. The Canadians captured 10 Taliban suspects, and McHugh’s photographs caused a controversy in Canada.
He was the first journalist to spend time with British forces after they took command of the southern Afghan province of Helmand in May 2006. His photographs of foot patrols through Lashkar Gah and of British soldiers silhouetted as they stand on a fort built by Alexander the Great were some of the first photographs that the British public saw from Helmand.
In 2007, McHugh embarked on a nine-month embed with US troops in Afghanistan. Just five weeks into his trip, the unit he was with was caught in an ambush. 18 soldiers were killed and 11 wounded. McHugh was also wounded, shot through the chest.
Six months later, he had recovered and returned to Afghanistan. He talks about childhood lessons of getting back on horses that threw him when explaining his reason for returning to Afghanistan after his injury.
Multimedia Photojournalism and Filmmaking
In 2007 McHugh began working with audio and video alongside his photography. He also began writing about his experiences.In 2008 The Guardian commissioned McHugh to produce a series initially entitled “Fighting Season” but subsequently renamed John D McHugh in Afghanistan which included photography, audio slideshows, short documentary films, and blogs. The project involved spending months living with the soldiers under fire along the border with Pakistan.
Awards
McHugh was awarded a Special Award for Hard News by The Picture Editors Guild in 2005.In 2007 he won the Frontline Club
Frontline Club
The Frontline Club is a media club near London's Paddington Station. With a strong emphasis on conflict reporting, it aims to champion independent journalism, provide an effective platform from which to support diversity and professionalism in the media, promote safe practice, and encourage both...
Award, which focuses on “journalistic integrity, courage and the independence of spirit” for his work in Afghanistan.
2009 saw McHugh’s film Combat Outpost nominated for The Rory Peck Award
Rory Peck Award
The Rory Peck Award is an award given to freelance camera operators who have risked their lives to report on newsworthy events. It was set up in 1995 and is named after the Northern Irish freelance cameraman Rory Peck, who was killed while reporting on the siege of the Moscow White House in 1993....
for News.