Photojournalist recaps career
Val Mazzenga, retired photojournalist for the Chicago Tribune, held a lecture, “The Untold Story,” talking about his career Wednesday in the TSC Ballroom.
Mazzenga has won over 200 awards and been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize six times. He has been on nearly every continent, photographing everything from sporting events like the Mark McGuire home run record, to Jonestown, Mother Theresa, Afghanistan and Cambodia.
Mazzenga said he started working for the Chicago Tribune as a copy boy while in high school. He grew an interest in photography and started following photographers around.
“I would watched them in the dark room and it was like magic,” Mezzanga said.
Three weeks before his high school graduation he was offered a job as a photographer for the Chicago Tribune, he accepted the position and dropped out of high school, Mezzenga said.
“To be a newspaper photographer, you have to be courageous and quick on your feet,” he said.
Mezzenga said when students talk to him today, he says to stay in school and get a degree because it gives perspective and helps people find themselves.
Mezzanga said it took him years, but finally he was being sent on assignments around the world that took him to shoot in Vietnam and in Jonestown where 913 people died.
“I’ve met many, many heroes and I’ve met many, many villains,” Mezzanga said.
Some of the villains Mezzenga has photographed have been during the invasion of Afghanistan by Russia and the Taliban. He has also photographed hostage situations, fires and refugees. Mezzenga said that he has feared for his life many times during his assignments. He said he has been beaten up, robbed and had guns pointed at him, but his biggest fear was getting sick; but he has made it through it all.
“My heroes aren’t the sports players; my heroes are the Peace Corps and doctors serving people,” Mezzenga said.
Mezzenga said if he could give advice to anyone interested in photojournalism or in anything else, it is to have determination. He repeated that determination is the key to doing great things; Michael Jordon had determination to be the best and Mother Theresa had determination to help people no matter what.
Mezzenga finished his lecture with saying his favorite place in the world is wherever he is at the time, and said when people ask him what the favorite photo he’s taken is, he replies “I haven’t taken it yet”.