That Nick Ut?

When I taught Michael Herr's Dispatches, one of the photos I used to familiarize the students with the place of journalism (and photojournalism) in Vietnam was Nick Ut's iconic, Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph:

So you can imagine my surprise when I saw the AP credit to this future monument to Schadenfreude:

We all must earn our bread ... even if it reduces us to photographing Paris Hilton reduced to tears.

Comments

[Wrongshore]

I see him around L.A. pretty often and I've been introduced to him once or twice.

[Matt]

What a brilliant juxtaposition!

[coturnix]

Both pictures were also taken on the same date, about 35 years apart.

[The Constructivist]

You're not reading raincoaster, are you? Or is she reading you? Or is this great minds thinking alike?

[raincoaster]

Not as far as I can tell, Constructivist. But it was news all over for newsies.

I like my title better, particularly as I'm usually paid by the word. Can you tell?

[R.L.Page]

I hope you're using those $10 words. [See above]

[raincoaster]

Judge for yourself. Here's the title:

and now, at the end of days, as the sun sinks, spent, into eternal darkness through sulphurous, striated clouds of irradiated effluence, R’lyeh rises from the abyss, and Nyarlathotep writhes and shrieks in unholy glee at his anchor desk, at last we see the signs clearly

[R.L.Page]

Ka-ching ...

[So what]

So what's your point. A photojournalist goes wherever the employer send him or her. Who else got the shot? How much was this shot worth to those interested? Probably more than any of us will make in our lifetimes selling photos. Mr. Ut is a hell of a shooter and if I had to bet the farm that someone can come back with a "moment" photo, all my chips will be on him.