Unreasonable Behavior

To go to conflict zones willingly is the height of insanity, and in a staggeringly British way the title in its understatement says it well; this is Unreasonable Behavior. Perhaps best known for his work covering conflicts around the globe, Don McCullin is certainly more than simply that. He has a family, flaws, he has loved, lost, longed for home only to leave it again, faced his own death and had to come to some kind of reckoning with the deaths of friends, colleagues, and family. His work in the most violent of places speaks for itself, his thoughts about those images and his own place in them are revealing, and his landscapes of his country are a sobering reminder that he is so much more than a "war photographer"; he is a photographer's photographer. The images he has made may be jarring, stunning, as difficult to view as they are to turn away from, but the story of this man, like his photographs, reveals more than one may expect.

I've always been interested in McCullin's work - who hasn't. But I've also become very interested in him as a person and his own personal story - one that's seen him photograph so many wars and conflicts, so many tragedies and the toll that it's taken on him.This book sheds some light on McCullin the man. The book can't possibly give you a complete picture: I'm not sure any one source can do that but along with interviews and other readings, this book helps give you a sense of what it takes to put your life on the line as a war photographer and the price paid for witnessing historic but awful events. I've gained a new respect for him that's for sure and I'd encourage anyone with an interest in war reporting to invest ion this book.

I had hoped to come away with a good understanding of the work of a documentary photographer. How does one fo about telling a story, what choices need be made, what lines did you decide not to cross, etc.. instead, the book reads more like “Don McCullin’s Travels.” A pleasant enough read but so are good novels.

A well written book without the glorification of war photography. A war photographer is in the worst places at the worst times. The best they can hope for is a photo that documents the events and people. Staying alive is a by-product of capturing the shot though not always successful. In this book the author is extremely lucky in just about every location. Luck is the main attribute no matter how good you are as a photographer. Fortunately , the author is both extremely talented, lucky, and literate.

I bought this book used, and it was in very good condition. I am not someone who enjoys war stories, but I found McCullin's first person account of these conflicts to be fascinating, horrifying and personal. It focuses more on his work than his personal life. I would have preferred to know more about him on a personal level to get a better feel for the man and not just the work, though it would be unfair to say that his personality does not come through in the writing. This is an older edition; I hope to read the newer edition soon.

This is a very good book from a photographer who has documented many war zones. The reader will recognize many of the photos.

Great biography of a man from humble beginnings who became one of the greatest war photographers of all time. A book about a war photographer could easily become 'heavy' to read if too much is said if the politics behind the wars but this book struck the balance between the back story of the conflicts and Don McCullin's own story and the effect some of the things he witnessed has had on him.

I cannot believe that this is not more widely known and read. Excellent.

This is a biography, not just for photographers, but for many who like recent history, the conflicts that have plagued many continents over the last 60 years and the story of a man who had an eye for a great photograph by living in the thick of the action. This is not a book for 'War, Glory' seekers but of the many people who find that war is abhorrentt and how one man documents its horror through his lens. One of the best books I have read; I couldn't put it down.

Written in a crisp, clear and un-senitmental style Don McCullin looks back over his remarkable career as a photographer that has taken him into the heart of human beings capacity for cruelty without robbing him of his empathy. McCullin has seen things that would break most people but his unwavering eye and determination to bear witness remain undaunted, while the world around him has gradually turned away afraid of being disturbed swaddled in their own comforts, too afraid to look.

Don McCullin's frank and unsettling autobiography is as graphic and dark as many of his well-known photographs. Currently enjoying renewed interest in his work through recent exhibitions, he's at pains to explain that he wants to be known just as a photographer rather than the label "war photographer" - but of course, this is what he is most well-known for.Unreasonable Behaviour charts McCullin's extraordinarily eventful life, and contains some harrowing and haunting images that have made his work famous around the world. Much of the time the book is descriptive, journalistic, impressionistic, and much of McCullin himself remains hidden. This is understandable, given the life he's led and the result it has had on him, but the private life and thoughts of the man are equally interesting - if not more so.Interestingly for me, the story of McCullin's childhood and early adulthood in London was as powerful and compelling as any of the war zones he describes and after a while, it must be said - one chaotic and awful war zone begins to read and look just like another one. Some of the short, punchy chapters that characterise this book are better and more interesting than others, but overall it's one of the more powerful autobiographies of a media photographer that I've read. You cannot help but wonder how one man can pack so much into his life, and just what price has been paid for some of the images he has recorded. Worth a read even if you are not interested in photography? Absolutely.NOTE ON THE UPDATED VERSION: Having just taken receipt of the updated hardback copy of the book that celebrates McCullin's 80th birthday, a couple of points that might be useful for prospective purchasers. Firstly, it's a well-produced, slightly square shaped hardback that contains an update on McCullin's life and brings it pretty much up to the present day. Notably lacking however, are more examples of his later photography in these updated chapters. Apart from one or two of the Somerset countryside, there is nothing from recent portfolios, which is a bit of a shame. The paper quality hasn't lent itself to great reproductions of the pictures that are included - which presumably is intentionally directing enthusiasts towards the definitive edition of 'Don McCullin' that is retailing at £50.00

I have always admired Don McCullin's work and as a young woman found it deeply affecting. His autobiography brought back to me of the wars and atrocities we have inflicted and still continue to inflict on each other. This book, a fast paced page turner, gives a factual account of his life from childhood to the present He speaks of his feelings but does not dwell on them. Nevertheless one can see him changing over time and being shaped by his experiences. I didn't much like him as a young man and felt he could easily have become hardened and callous as a way of protecting himself from what he saw. It is to his credit that he became instead empathetic and compassionate and it is this which makes his images so powerful

This isn't just a another book a book about photography or a hard-nosed war reporter going against all odds to get 'the picture'.This biography is about people involved in poverty or war and often both, and how a young man from poverty took or either made the opportunity to go see the world with all it's faults until going to conflicts became a habit he needed to break to survive or gain any quality of life. His story also tells of the extreme change in methods of reporting and how newspapers became weary of showing starving children with dead and injured civilians being shown against glossy advertising for sleek cars - and how the industry turned away from ethical to financial priorities in producing news.He is his own most bitter critic, yet he never allows callousness or indifference to create a shield against the horrors mankind inflict upon ourselves.This book should be required reading for anyone thinking that war is like a video game and that you can just switch off and carry on with life once you are back home. It also illuminates the stupidity of our leaders and governments world-wide who try to tell us that we should support organised murder because of a necessary cause - he doesn't make such judgments or politicize his story - like all good reporters he simply portrays in words & images how it is. A harrowing journey through a life rarely known to the rest of us,