Hal Geer(1916-2017)

Member of the International Combat Cameramens Association. Hal Geer is the artist of the bunch. From bomber planes, he filmed attacks in the Pacific and the A-bomb test after World War II on Bikini Atoll. His best pictures though were snapped on the ground during the Japanese invasion of China. They are images of human misery that are somehow beautiful to look at, instinctively arranged to please the eye. Like the one of Chinese refugees dragging carts through the mud, faces gripped with fear, ribbons of farmland in the background, a slice of sky at the top of the frame. "I was telling the story of human hell," he said. "We were there to tell stories, to make sure people didn't forget what happened.".