GALLERY

An Overview

I learned early on my career as a foreign correspondent that the "visual word" is critical for any writer. Having photographs to go with every story you do is critical, not only for the reader, but for you the writer. Often, before I would sit down to write, I would have my photos processed and spread them out around me. They helped me recall things that I otherwise might not have mentioned.

They were also invaluable when it came to recreating a scene or providing vivid descriptions of events. I carried a camera with me on every foreign assignment I had — beginning with my coverage of the fall of Cambodia and Vietnam in 1974-75 to my return to those countries in 1995. In between I carried my camera in places like China, Japan, The Philippines, El Salvador, Guatemala, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.

When I am asked what advice I have for someone who wants to be a foreign correspondent, my answer is easy: "Learn as many languages as you can; leave your cultural, ethnic and religious biases at home; and always, always take your camera." Today, carrying a camera is so much easier — especially if you opt for a digital camera or a digital video camera. My only regret is that there were no digital video cameras around in the 1970s and 1980s when I was covering Asia and Latin America.

I am happy to be able to share these photographs with you. I will be adding more periodically, so stay tuned. All photos in my Gallery come from my personal photo archives.

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