Wild Wells by Stephane Compoint

Wild Wells

People in the News, first prize stories

1991

Work in progress at the oil field. Iraq's demolition troops left hundreds of 'wild wells' in Kuwait gushing with oil, as much as six million barrels a day at the peak. Then the desert firefighters moved in, latter day cowboys with helmets instead of stetsons, working for companies with names like Boots & Coots and Safety Boss. They got to work amidst unexploded mines and the roar of burning jets of oil, on soil so hot it blistered their knees as they knelt down. First the fires had to be put out, then came the messy business of well capping.

Commissioned by: Sygma

Photo Credit:  Stephane Compoint

Stephane Compoint was born in 1961 and lives in Paris. Passion of photography since always, he became professional in 1979 and journalist in 1982. After collaborating with several French news agencies, he has been an independent photo-journalist since 2002.

He works with the leading French and international magazines, for which he mainly produces major reports of a cultural, historical, scientific or environmental nature.

Specializing in nearby aerial photography thanks to the use of a captive photo-ball of his design, he shoots mid-height shots at exclusive frames from 5 to 500 m In silence and without polluting emission.

An expert in underwater photography, whether in tropical (Bahamas), polar (North) or archaeological (the Alexandria Lighthouse), he also participates in expeditions in extreme environments (The Abel track in the Sahara, the Erebus expedition in Antarctica).

He produces reports and portraits for companies (Mont and Chandon, Total, Tarkett), foundations (Bettencourt Foundation, EDF Foundation), the world of tourism and more generally all production destined for The press, publishing or corporate.

Author of thirteen books, ten exhibitions and three international advertising campaigns (Gauloises, President, Assos) , he obtained ten photographic prizes (including two World Press Photo, for Firefighters of the Desert in Kuwait T in 1992 and for Le Phare d'Alexandrie in 1996).