"Mate? You're not my f@*king mate".
Maybe it wasn't the best thing the reporter from The Daily Telegraph could have called the instructor on his 'HET' course.
HET stands for hostile environment training and is something journalists and photojournalists go on before working in war zones, etc., where there is a risk of kidnapping, threats to personal security, etc.
The course I attended along with a reporter was held at an army barracks on the Welsh border with a suitably threatening battle tank at the entrance and mean looking military duty manikins in the training hall.One of the things a HET course teaches is situational awareness- something most photographers have in any case but maybe need to brush up on. It isn't just useful in combat zone situations but even somewhere like the pit lane at a race circuit where drivers are concentrating on speedy tyre changes and car re-fuelling rather than stray people wandering about. Working with animals is another good example. Things can happen very fast and animals are like people- all unique and all unpredictable!Be careful out there and stay safe. Most of all, never call somebody wearing a balaklava 'mate' ! #photographer #editorialphotographer
#johnrobertsonphotography #awareness
