The White Falcon - 14.05.1993, Qupperneq 5

1
Pursuit of excellence pays off for local
By J02 Carlos Bongioanni
PHI (AC) Mark Kettenhofen,
a photojoumalist attached to the
Fleet Imaging Command Detach-
ment, Keflavik, recently found
out how tangibly rewarding his
efforts could be when he won the
1992 Military Photographer
(MILPHOG) of the Year award,
the highest honor bestowed upon
photographers in the military.
Ultimately, though, the real
satisfaction Kettenhofen experi-
ences does not lie with external
awards, but with knowing inside
that he’s doing what he loves most.
Perhaps no job is as personally
rewarding as the one into which a
person’s heart and soul are poured.
For Kettenhofen, being a photog-
rapher is not just his job, it’s his
life, and that’s where he finds his
satisfaction.
“It’s like asking somebody,
‘Why do you breathe?’ I have to
shoot images just like I have to
breath,” said Kettenhofen.
However, being a top-rated photographer
is not always as easy as breathing. Some-
times it requires labored gasps and pains.
7 have to shoot images
just like I have to
breathe.”
“The more you sacrifice, the more you suffer,
the harder the image is to take... the better the
image will be,” Kettenhofen recalled his
photojournalism professor at Syracuse Uni-
versity saying a number of years ago.
For Kettenhofen, those words would at
times come back to haunt him. During the
three years he was attached to Combat Camera
Group in Norflok, V A, he averaged 200 days-
a-year away from his family.
“Six days before Christmas (1991), I was
told I was going to Cuba for a month. One
month ended up being 90 days. I was angry
and frustrated at first, because I just spent the
previous summer in Iraq. I told myself I
couldn’t change the situation, so I tried to
make something good happen out of bad. It
paid off. Sometimes, the most arduous cir-
cumstances require adaptation,” said Ketten-
hofen.
Besides winning the overall award for
MILPHOG, Kettenhofen took first place in
the pictorial category, first in feature, first
and second in portrait personality and second
place in the picture story category. All five
award winning photographs were from his
“arduous” days spent in Cuba.
PH 1 Carol Cline, photojoumalist attached
to Combat Camera Group, was with Ketten-
hofen in Cuba and greatly appreciated the
“I was angry and frus-
trated... 1 told myself I
couldn't change anything,
so I tried to make some-
thing good out of bad”
hotographer, highest honors awarded
natural talent she saw in Kettenhofen’s work. “He shot the
same stuff I did,” said Cline, “but his always came out
much better. The good thing about Mark is he shares his
knowledge with other photographers. He’s a great teacher
and has taught me a lot.”
PHC Rene Collis, Officer in Charge, Fleet Imaging
Command Detachment, Keflavik, agrees. “Since Mark
came to Keflavik, he’s shared some of his basic photo
techniques, and as a result, I’ve seen an improvement in
the other photographers’ skills.”
Although, Kettenhofen’s talent is appreciated by many,
he’ll be the first to admit that he couldn’t do it without the
‘7 thought photography was his
mistress.”
support of his wife, Suzette. “In the world of photography,
show me one photographer who has a happy family and I’ll
show you five who don’t,” said Kettenhofen. “My job
requires full dedication, but I can’t do it by myself. If it
wasn’t for my wife’s understanding, I wouldn’t make it.”
“The first seven years of our marriage were extremely
tough, because I couldn’t understand the passion Mark had
for his work,” said Suzette. “At times, I thought photog-
raphy was his mistress. The longer we were married, I
learned to accept that this wasn’t just Mark’s job but was
a part of who he was.”
Kettenhofen also acknowledged the support he received
from his father while he was growing up. “My father gave
me my first camera when I was 12. He always had faith in
my abilities and was always there to encourage me. The
first thought I had when I found out I won
MILPHOG was of jubilation, but then I felt
regret, sadness... pain that my father wouldn’t
be there to see me receive the award.”
Kettenhofen’s father died shortly before he
came to Iceland in December, 1992.
Kettenhofen was in Washington, D. C.,
May 13 to receive his award from the Secre-
tary of Defense, Les Aspin, and other digni-
taries.
Award-winning photos from Kettenhofen's
1991 and 1992 selection. Clockwise from
top left, opposite page: A Haitian child
with chicken pox is treated with calamine
lotion. Father and son wonder what the
future holds. Kettenhofen takes a photo of
a Haitian child while in Cuba. A moment
of sadness brings tears to a young Haitian
girl.