I am totally not up to this…Writing obits is not what I do…This will not be my best of anything. Yet, it is all I can do at the moment.
I found out yesterday, at exactly this time by text message while driving in a blinding rainstorm, that my friend and next door neighbor Tim Hetherington had been killed in Libya along with colleague Chris Hondros. Mike Brown , who lives just upstairs and featured here with his Libya work was thankfully spared…So, two men who hang with me at home, stop by for a beer from time to time, were caught in the same mortar attack and one of them gone forever. I did not know Chris Hondros, but was an admirer of his work. I write here only of my friend Tim.
Mostly Tim and I would see each other rushing in and out of the building. On the elevator. Tim with his bike. Fast chats typical in our trade. My last conversation with Tim was to congratulate him for his Oscar nomination. Gave him a hug. Told him he was a winner no matter what the outcome. Tim is a winner. Tragically gone now , but a shining light of integrity in journalism.
However, it is very difficult for me to defend right this minute the business of war photography. Tim is not the first friend I have lost like this. Richard Cross was the first, John Hoagland the second , and few now can even remember their names at all nor the war they died in or what it was about. Sure seemed important at the time. Nicaragua, Contras. Anybody know about it? Even I who was there have to really stop and remember all the details and the politics and the lies and the propaganda and the pure bullshit and a craving press that led up to those guys feeling like it was their mission and their sense of making a difference to be there with their cameras. Met Nachtwey there and he survived that and many other conflicts and I have heard his speech of justification many times. I listen.
Same with Tim. Tim Hetherington stopped by to talk to my students in the last loft class, he always came to talk to my students. He had a sense of mission as well. So yes, yes I know the peoples right to know and the documentation for the sake of the oppressed etc etc. I know the speech well. Yet, I also know the realities. I will bounce back from this anti war photography mood most likely, but this is how I feel right now. I know that conflicts must be covered, but the repetition of the realities year after year after year just gets me in the gut.
It is just so so sad, tragic, sickening that one of the few who really was trying to make a difference and one of the truly most honorable and creative men I have ever met is gone.
Tim Hetherington, I love you bro. You did what you set out to do. Nobody can ever ask for more.
..yes..
thoughts for tims real, and surrogate, families..
David, I am so sorry for your loss. Although I never knew Tim, I knew his work and it was inspirational how committed he was to producing striking images and following his heart in life. I’ve been keeping a continually updated blog of links to the sad news of yesterday, which I have added this to. I hope that is okay. The link is http://st84photo.wordpress.com
Tim’s work was due to be shown at the Look11 photography festival in May this year. The festival theme is A Call To Action. Paul Lowe (of LCC) had curated the show Tim’s images were in – work made in Libya, away from the front line. I contacted Stephen Snoddy, the festival’s artistic director when I first heard the news (part of my reason for making the blog list of links) and the festival are seeking ways in which he can be remembered more formally during the festival, in addition to his work being shown.
Everybody I have spoken to in the last 24 hours has been devastated by this. I even have friends who, unknown to me previously, had been at school with Tim, at the Bluecoat in Liverpool. It has come as a shock to all.
My best thoughts go out to Guy Martin who, last I heard, had been stabilised but whose condition was still critical. Also to Michael Brown, and to the friends and family of all involved in this. There are no words for this.
David I totally agree with you and it is such a sad loss. I have the utmost admiration for those who put themselves in harms way just to educate the world of its many atrocities. But how much negativity does one need to see. As a photographer I try to document the positive aspects of life which many enjoy seeing but I am curious as to why the large organizations such as Magnum choose not to recognize or if they do, give it very little recognition. I’ve been battling this “positive war” for many years and will continue to do so. God’s speed for those who have passed trying to do what they thought was best.
Well said DAH.
Speedy recovery to Mike and Guy, and may Tim and Chris Rest In Peace.
“A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.”
Lao Tzu
today we celebrate …OUR TRAVELERS…wherever you are,WE love YOU!!!
Thank you for sharing David.
Pingback: RIP Tim Hetherington « st84photo
hearts
and
hugs….
***
Said it in the other thread, but bears repeating…
Condolences to all who lost a friend…
As for war work, I trust that’s what they wanted to do and that they accepted the responsibility. In the end, I can accept the idea that the cause that one dies for is either meaningless or a meaningful, but find it impossible to imagine anything in between. But cause aside, a human death is as meaningful as the life and feelings of the loved ones left behind. In that regard, it seems Tim had a very meaningful existence.
David
” it is very difficult for me to defend right this minute the business of war photography”
The news industry is actually the bad news industry. I do appreciate the arguments why all this is necessary, but I have never understood why people put themselves in harms way to feed the beast.
Perhaps, in this age of cell-phone cameras and the internet, it will be enough to let the people involved tell their own stories.
Hell, what do I know. All I know is that there are a lot families and friends out there grieving right now.
My sympathy goes out to all of them.
I was sorry to hear about the loss of such dedicated and admirable warriors for humanity. And sorry for your loss, now that I know you were a friend. Thanks for sharing. M
David, I’m sorry for the loss of your friend. Un abbraccio.
saudade tim
Peace.
MR.HARVEY…you do write BUT you are writing Orbits…like the Galactocentric one !
SPACECOWBOY…more friends are coming your way…
it seems …not even the sky is the limit…
keep it up,be strong and don’t forget WE love you!!!
Does anyone remember Panos arm-twisting us to see Restrepo a few months back? It was the first thing I thought of when I heard the news of Tim Heatherington on the radio yesterday. My second thought was how Panos would have been devastated by this tragedy.
It comes as a surprise to read of the personal relationships Tim had with so many here – David, Panos, Bob…Erica? – and I cannot help but consider the sorrow you feel. In my relationship here as a student of all, I’m giving special consideration at this time to those Heatherington mentored, and those he somehow otherwise influenced. I think of the way family and friends give advice, by way of a gentle nudge or a kick in the pants, and how there is that similar relationship with our teachers.
I’ve lost my share of teachers and have a special place in my heart for them; I offer my sympathies to those in that situation now.
have been unable to write for 2 days…could hardly sleep….will try to write something later tonight…..yes, i knew and spoke with tim, first via emails (through ls and then after his wpp win)…heart sick, really heart sick…..for now, only what i left last night on his facebook page….
for now, i will only repeat what erica and david and panos have shared, he was not only a first class photographer and filmmaker, but most importantly, he was a gentle, beautiful, caring human being….fighting with the desire not to write, but to make peace with something simple…my thoughts, primarily, at the moment are for his family…..
shall try to do something later….
hugs, big ones, and much love to david, erica, tanquay, panos….and those who knew/met him……
for tim:
I Think Continually Of Those Who Were Truly Great
I think continually of those who were truly great.
Who, from the womb, remembered the soul’s history
Through corridors of light where the hours are suns
Endless and singing. Whose lovely ambition
Was that their lips, still touched with fire,
Should tell of the Spirit clothed from head to foot in song.
And who hoarded from the Spring branches
The desires falling across their bodies like blossoms.
What is precious is never to forget
The essential delight of the blood drawn from ageless springs
Breaking through rocks in worlds before our earth.
Never to deny its pleasure in the morning simple light
Nor its grave evening demand for love.
Never to allow gradually the traffic to smother
With noise and fog the flowering of the spirit.
Near the snow, near the sun, in the highest fields
See how these names are fŠted by the waving grass
And by the streamers of white cloud
And whispers of wind in the listening sky.
The names of those who in their lives fought for life
Who wore at their hearts the fire’s center.
Born of the sun they traveled a short while towards the sun,
And left the vivid air signed with their honor.
-stephen spender
… i meet Tim when he came to the loft workshop in 09 …i think he was editing restrepo then … he showed us his Liberia work and spoke about producing multimedia for installations and the internet ………. RIP TIM ….
Guy Martin now “serious, but stable” – http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/2045338/injured-british-photographer-stable-condition
Just saw the link. I’m no angel, but I’m praying for him.
no comment for now…im still in denial…
I never new Tim but thought his work was wonderful and I’m saddened by his death.
More and and a sweat interview with Brendan O’Byrne at the bottom.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13151490
A real shame and a real loss. But I get the feeling these two would not have us mourn for them – they must have known, working where they do (did) that this is almost inevitable – what would make them immortal when their subjects, so close at hand, are not? And if it isn’t a stray bullet, RPG, what have you, it could just as easily be a helicopter or auto crash, or catching a deadly disease.
What is troubling is this need for photographers to travel in groups and this need for all to get in on the action. An errant mortar (god knows this could have easily been a case of “friendly fire” looking at how the rebels operate) takes out four photographers instead of one, and since there’s pics of Chris at work by yet another photographer that day it seems there were others about as well. Just how many photographer’s does it take to cover this? Supposedly there’s safety in numbers, but is that true?
I always wanted to be a war photographer, which comes from a seemingly karmic fascination with war history, esp WWII. It’s a young man’s game and it just wasn’t in the cards for me – one needs to be fit, committed (fully), very brave, and very very foolish. The thought of hot metal flying overhead can be exciting/compelling in a twisted sort of way – until the thought of that metal hitting flesh, esp yours, makes one sick to the stomach. I’m sure life is anything but boring on the front lines of a conflict. But at what cost….
I’m sure if I lived and worked in NY I would have met and maybe even have gotten to know Tim. His photography was unique amongst the pack, and Restrepo about as perfect a documentary on the experience of warring as one could make.
Alas, as David says above, they aren’t the first and won’t be the last. But I think they would want us (at least those who didn’t know them personally) to mourn for the victims in their photos before we weep for them. At least that’s the spirit I take away from their work… rest in peace Tim and Chris H.
You’re not alone Panos.
As I said in the other thread, nobody wants it all to be true. I still see Tim laughing with my girl at my stupid joke…
People like Tim are rare, this is why they touch so many many lives (some never met him and yet feel a strong sense of loss), and this is why it is so tough to realize the tragic truth. I prefer denial it never lasts…
Panos, Erica, DAH, et al
So sad and hard to lose a friend. Hang in there, and don’t be afraid to grieve – in public or in private. Or denial – whatever works.
CP
it’s completely understandable that so many of us had some form of contact with tim – he made himself accessible in a genuine and friendly, positive and level way.. a genuine talent – a genuine human being.
on war photography – there is a trend.. a vastly disproportionate number of journalists have been targeted in the recent middle eastern uprisings.. and while local residents with mobile phones are as susceptible to visiting journalists, it is the visiting journalists who seem to hit us hardest.. particularly when we relate and empathize with them on another level.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/21/industry-us-media-journalists-idUSTRE73K06L20110421
and so, documenting wars is becoming more dangerous – perhaps as the psychology of propaganda and political will to control the media has been honed..
none of that makes this easier.
RIP all who’ve tried to get the news out..
David, thanks for writing this. I’ve been holding you in my heart since I heard of Tim’s death. Many many people will miss the man, lots who never met him in person. But those of you who loved him are the ones who will never forget. As you say, time will pass and no one will even remember what was going on in Libya in April 2011, why photojournalists were there, or even the names of those who lost their lives doing what they felt was their mission. But their photographs and films will live on, especially those of such gifted humanitarians as Tim and Chris.
I, for one, will always associate George Bush’s disastrous war against Iraq with Chris’s photo of the blood-spattered little girl sitting on the floor crying for her parents who had been shot and killed at a checkpoint by American troops. I didn’t even remember that Chris Hondros was the photographer, but as long as I live, I will never forget that child. To me, she epitomizes the sadness of this violent means that men safe in their top-level government offices use to argue their points.
I’m not saying that Chris’s life was worth that image but I am saying that he knew the risks he was taking and consciously chose to go ahead. I’m sure for Tim it was the same. And for all the others who have been lost as they pursued their passion. War is hell and war photography is hell. None of it makes sense. But without people like Tim and Chris the rest of us would stay ignorant of the cost of the decisions our elected officials make for us…decisions that all too many of us support with our votes.
Ah well, enough said. Please know I with you, David, as you suffer Tim’s loss. May you find comfort.
hugs
Patricia
http://cjchivers.com/post/4794700317/almost-dawn-in-libya-chris-tim-heading-home
heading home..
Almost Dawn in Libya: Chris & Tim, Heading Home.
We’re numb here as the clock nears 4:30 a.m., and we’re not quite sure what to do. The deaths of Chris Hondros and Tim Hetherington on Tripoli Street still seem unreal. Bryan just walked off from the little space we’ve been huddled in, working. He’ll sleep soon, I hope. The work kept us busy enough to hold the worst of the feelings away. But now the work is almost done, and it will hit again with the same shock as the first word.
Before that happens, a few words should be typed.
These:
Everyone who admires Chris and Tim, and everyone who loves them, has a debt of gratitude to Human Rights Watch and to the International Organization for Migration, who together, on extremely short notice, bent the world to get Chris’s and Tim’s remains on the Ionian Spirit, the evacuation vessel that by chance was briefly in Misurata port tonight. The vessel delayed its departure to take them aboard and begin their journeys out. Tim was brought down first, while Chris clung to life. When Chris died, there seemed no time to get him there. But HRW worked the phones, pleading by satellite call to the pier to have the ship held up again. They simultaneously urged one of Chris’s and Tim’s colleagues at the triage center to get Chris’s remains en route through the besieged city by ambulance, assessing — correctly as it turned out — that if they could honestly say that he was on his way that no captain would leave the pier.
They were right. Chris and Tim are at sea now, heading toward Benghazi, which means, in the indirect but solemn ways that the fallen travel from battlefields, that they are heading home.
One more thing must be said. None of this would have happened without Andre Liohn, the colleague in the triage tent mentioned in the preceding paragraph. Andre worked all afternoon and night to get word out about Chris and Tim, who are lost, and Mike and Guy, who are wounded. At the end, it was Andre who tended to the details at the hospital to put them in motion toward their families. Without Andre, Chris and Tim would still be in Misurata, in conditions I do not care to describe. Their friends and families would know little, and Chris and Tim would have been off-the-grid, and hard to reach, and the delays in their travel would have been painful for all who want them back. Andre was a savior tonight. He brought hope and humanity to a chaotic, devastating day.
If you want to know a little more of Andre, let me say this: When I spoke to him a short while ago, I asked if he has been wearing his flak jacket, which I had carried into Misurata for him last week. Tripoli Street is a hell of flying bullets and shrapnel, and he’s on it almost every day. No, he said, I am not wearing it. I asked why not. “I gave it to an ambulance driver,” he said.
These are the organizations and the people — HRW, IOM, Andre — who make it possible to imagine, on days like these, that we are people still, just as Chris and Tim did in the work that defined their lives.
from DB link above…
“…Everyone who admires Chris and Tim, and everyone who loves them, has a debt of gratitude to Human Rights Watch and to the International Organization for Migration, who together, on extremely short notice, bent the world to get Chris’s and Tim’s remains on the Ionian Spirit…”
TANGUY,CHARLES,DAH, ERICA, ALL, sorry:(
I’m without words.
It’s taken years for those my and DAH’s generation to get over the deaths of Larry Burrows, Henri Huet, Kent Potter and Keisaburo Shimamoto, when their helicopter was shot down over Laos. And that was 1971. War IS hell and I can only agree with Dave that “only the good die young”. Say a prayer or give a moment of silence for our brothers and sisters who are in harms way every day.
sorry for your loss, DAH..
i’m sorry for every single beautiful valuable life lost to the stupidity called war.
safe journey to all the deceased.
om mani padme hum.
just a question…Do you know if their families need any help…like to set up an account…
any kind of help…I know,it may sound weird…But as a civilian who has been around for a long time…
I have to ask…
P.S…together we can do miracles…most of the time.
Further update on Guy Martin – http://pdnpulse.com/2011/04/update-guy-martin-critical-but-stable.html
To David and all those others who frequent here:
My condolences. We all feel the loss, but as his personal friends, you feel it in depth. I am so very sorry. I have been asking myself the same question, been leaning towards believing that given the quality and depth of the work, the need for us all to know and the fact that they very well knew the risks and accepted them, that their sacrifice means something.
But your words are strong, your points true. I don’t know. I now can’t imagine the world without the photos your friend took – but then I will never be able to imagine the world with the photos that he might still be taking had he followed another course.
First line should have read:
To David and all those other friends of Tin Heatherington and Chris Hondros who frequent here:
Lustig notes that support for freelance photographers who get injured in hot spots while they are between assignments are mostly at the mercy of friends and acquaintances for help. “We as an agency don’t have insurance policies for our freelancers. We offer what support we can, and we’ll offer as much support as we can when he gets back. Thankfully these situations arise rarely, but it’s really up to the freelancer to make sure they have their medical insurance in place.”
http://pdnpulse.com/2011/04/update-guy-martin-critical-but-stable.html
Martin has been in Libya for about a month, and was working without an assignment yesterday when he was injured, says Lustig, a friend of Martin’s. Panos has been representing Martin on an informal basis in recent months. Panos also represented Hetherington.
“We as an agency don’t have insurance policies for our freelancers. We offer what support we can, and we’ll offer as much support as we can when he gets back.
OH MY GOD…NO INSURANCE FOR FREELANCERS..
WE NEED TO HELP
HE IS ALL ALONE TO COVER THE MEDICAL BILLS
thank FI for the PDN link..
MARTIN NEEDS HELP
NO INSURANCE
He (MARTIN) suffered extensive injuries to his legs and abdomen when he was hit by shrapnel from the mortar attacks. A statement issued today by his mother, Karen Martin, and his partner, Polly Fields, described his condition as “stable [but] very critical.”
again and sorry for yelling out loud
NO HELP, NO MONEY, NO INSURANCE
we gotta do something
we gotta do something
………………….
Lustig explains that the region is considered too dangerous to send in a medevac helicopter, so Martin cannot be moved sooner.
Panos, Guy Martin is from the UK, if I’m not wrong, healthcare system might be different than in the US…
Panos – Guy Martin is British-based, so his medical costs within his own country should be covered by the NHS and are therefore free. That said, I don’t know his situation regarding any bills incurred abroad, or if there is extra care which “falls beyond the remit” of the NHS, and there is also the fact that he will not be earning while he (hopefully, I’m still hopeful for the guy) recuperates, so I agree, we should help in whatever way that we can.
If it helps clarify the situation any, medical-unemployed benefits for those in the UK start at £46 per week, going up to £96 later (after uh about 18 months, I think). That’s $76-$156 per week. It isn’t a massive amount. Initial sick pay usually comes from your company at whatever your previous wage was, but in Guy’s case, I expect this isn’t applicable.
Pingback: DAH on why only the good die young | duckrabbit - we produce photofilms
Sorry Eva, we cross-posted. Yup, the NHS provides free health care. Some stuff you do have to pay for though, if they deem it “not necessary to fulfilling your life chances” which, given Cameron is presently cutting the NHS budget very severely is rather worrying. But his immediate care will be seen to.
I think we all feel a sense of loss. I did not know Tim or Chris but I have friends who knew them very closely.
I feel sad for their families, their friends and the photo community that lost two colleagues who were not only talented photographers but wonderful human beings.
ok, Eva, Framers..thank you..
im sooooooo glad he is not from here (US)…medical bills/gangsters would take advantage…
ok, i feel a little better now..phew
Panos:
“im sooooooo glad he is not from here (US)…medical bills/gangsters would take advantage…”
Yes, indeed.
unfortunately Bill…the whole world knows about our healthcare system:(
I didn’t plan to click on Burn today – a finger had it’s on mind – often does. What a range of feelings, loss, emotions – DAH – sending a hug as a friend would do – the world has lost at least two voices it needs more then ever –
What I remember is that slow, gentle striding of a smile. When Tim smiled, it was as if a giraffe slowly gamboling over the land toward a grove of breeze-swept leaves….balletic, gentle and heart-washing…I remember that from on meeting and conversation…
What I remember is that when he spoke, with a voice that belied both the rapidity of his magnificent intelligence and the outer-size demensions of his heart, he spoke to you, he spoke within the conversation of that which was joining you to him, words and thoughts and concern.
What I remember is that he listened much more attentively that those around us, bending his slightly-awkward shoulders toward you as you spoke, not only attentive to the words of your thought but toward its wholeness, its intent, its connection.
Rarely have I met another photographer for the first time, stumbled over words and ideas and things together during a chat and not thought to myself, ‘what the fuck are we talking about?’ With Tim, it was an immediate bond born of something rare and invaluable and all together under appreciated, especially in the all-too-often me-center world of photography: he gave you space to be you and he listened to this and took it to heart, literally.
Tim seemed to me an uncommon man.
I cannot say that he was uncommon because he was magisterially gifted (he was that) for there are others as well; I cannot say that he was uncommon because he cared profoundly about the work and the people with whom he worked (he did not photograph or film or write so much as work with others, which made his work so profoundly personal and compassionate and brilliant), because there are others as well. He was uncommon in his obvious and quiet and gentle offering of himself to you, to you while you spoke, to you while you wrote, to you while you laughed in a room of 300 drunken photographers, to while while he worked even answering drunken emails from strangers with a wife and son questioning their own work and life. He was uncommon in his unselfish heart.
You would know this from talking to him.
You should know this, because it is an important legacy to bestow upon all people and that means more than the work and that is the legacy around which it has been so difficult for me to write about.
I told him the story of my son when he was 9: “why focus dad, what’s the point.”
I told him that his WPP photo of the soldier of Second Platoon, Battle Company in the Korengal Valley probably made more sense to the soldiers and parents then to all the photographers who bitched about it’s winning photooftheyear and that to me that was an indication of it’s profoundity and it’s insight.
I told him that my son was scared by Restrepo. I wrote him that i thought that Sleeping Soldiers was so important that i hoped that the Journalism world would understand it’s importance….
He told me this: the caring of things made up for the life, too often, alone.
40 years old and though I have learned to accept the death of people I have known or loved or met, as they seem to come like increasing taps behind the back, it still continues to hole out my gut.
The only thought I have had in the last two days, beyond my wishes to reach out to Tim’s when the time is right, is to try to rejoice in those extraordinary things he bequeathed my own life with: a few emails, a gentle smile, a handshake first, a hug at the end, a turn of the eyes after the story of my son, a loping away….
The loss of someone we knew, the loss of someone we love, the loss of someone we respected must, i hope, be a reminder of the importance of all that we live through, that I write about Tim now as a reminder also to all those who have perished amid our eggregious failings, our horrific need not to care but rather to tackle and take and forget. For every Tim and Chris there are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters and colleagues and friends who are mourning their loved ones in Libya. If the death of 2 photographers whom we admire and care about is important, and it is, than their lives should stand not for what they accomplished, and make no mistake about it, they both accomplished a tremendous amount and gave of themselves in the attempt to speak against the darkness enveloping, but their lives need stand in the place of all those who we have not met, all those civilians and drivers and fixers and people who have neither films nor books nor credentials, but grief and grief and grief.
Though I felt a strong connection with Tim, I want to remind also that Tim was not just about pictures and books and films…he was, like everyone else, common in his hope to live. He lived and his legacy, for me, is about that, period and also about that we must recall that in our grief are all others, all people, mostly unknown, unrecongized, unstinting.
Yesterday was a gross subtraction from the world of documentary photography and the profession is lessened by the loss of Tim and Chris. But yesterday was a gross subtraction for all those who cared about more than photography, but about building and carving something simple: to live with faith and concern and awareness and love for this life and the people around.
That is Tim’s legacy and I am heart-broke that a good man has gone, a man who had so much to both do and share.
Were it possible that the world were not in need of people like Tim. Were it possible, but this would not be the same world. And for that, I am grateful that I have a chance to remain in this world, that I am grateful that Tim walked this earth and breathed it and bestowed it with himself, that I had the priviledge to talk and write and the sting of his death, in its swelling, must remain in the size of the heart after, and not of the grief…
if only these words can offer Idil and his family and all his friends and colleagues something…
the grief shall lessen, his life and his heart, and that beautiful, awkward turn of the shoulder when smiling, shall not….
Very sad times, not sure what else to say, it’ s difficult. Sorry.
robert
http://www.chrishondros.com/bio.htm
Last tweet:
According to Business Insider, Hetherington tweeted yesterday:
“In besieged Libyan city of Misrata. Indiscriminate shelling by Qaddafi forces. No sign of NATO.
http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/2045254/stop-press-dead-libya#ixzz1KCLPukEk
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/parting-glance-tim-hetherington/
That was heartfelt.
I`ve just finished reading Lost in Laos and now more are gone.
You question the rationale that led them there….I don`t know but its a good question.
I`m very sorry that you will not see your friend again but I suspect that he will be forever in your thoughts.
Michael
It took me a while before I realized I had met Tim at the loft… I’m in a bit of shock – War is a horrible thing. for everyone. Tim was one that made a point to ask questions and find answers among that sort of chaos. He was always on the go to and from the loft as I remember… Friendly guy.
For me he rests among the ranks of those like Capa, Seymour, and so many others who died while working to understand a better truth in a combat situation. David – I’m sorry you’ve lost such a remarkable colleague, neighbor, and friend.
http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2011/04/sebastian-junger-remembers-tim-hetherington-201104
A very powerful post David. What is it that makes us want to fix impossible problems with our photographs? I guess there is some faith that people will realize and condemn the evil of war simply by seeing the horror on their TV sets and in their newspapers. The truth is that those of us who are privileged enough to be living in comfort are insulated by our luxuries and distance – both physically and emotionally. It is not until the shit comes to our doorstep that will we will all truly see. Is the apathy of the privileged a failure of art and journalism? Is it a result of censorship and corporate interests controlling the media? Are people just incapable of caring?
I believe that although the process is painfully slow, but the truth is inevitable. Every photograph, video, article and broadcast of truth is one more drop of water in the rising tide… Tim contributed buckets worth.
-Ian
1969-high draft number-should have gone- still alive?
A very very sad day for photography. I am very sorry for the loss of your friend and colleague, David. I did not know Tim personally, although I had often hoped to. He was a very inspiring figure. My thoughts are with you, his family, friends and colleagues.
Sean
I’m now having flashbacks about meeting DAH’s very kind and gentle neighbor during a wild slideshow/fiesta at the Loft in October 2008. Is that Tim sitting on DAH’s couch?
http://www.pbase.com/windchimewalker/image/104179753
Patricia
Hi Patricia,
No, it’s not Tim (are you sure he was there?)
And, by the way, for those who made the mistake, his name was TIM HETHERINGTON (no ‘A’ anywhere)
tims last interview with rob APE..
honest..
“R – In Diary, there’s a moment when you say that you make pictures to try and understand what’s happening to yourself….
T – I think it’s got to come from yourself, first of all. That’s the most honest place to be coming from. If I started saying that it came out of a desire to change the world, that’s very suspect. Can’t it come out of a place of personal curiosity? A desire to locate myself in the world and also have some utility?
R – That was your approach in Afghanistan?
T – My examination of young men and violence, or of young men and this kind of dramatic energy in war, was also me trying to understand my own fascination with violence. It was as much a journey about my identity as it was about those soldiers.”
http://outsideonline.com/adventure/travel-ga-tim-hetherington-last-interview-sidwcmdev_155784.html
refreshing to read.. perhaps we’re all crusaders for our own perspective, explorers for the sake of ourselves, whatever the subject matter or style or content.
Tanguy, correct…
David misspelled the last name out of frustration and anger..
And of course as u know that doesn’t diminishes any of his feelings etc..
I’m not defending David or anything..
It’s that I know how David feels about this tragedy..
I know ..
I know.. I just know..
Biggest hug
“Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers the o’er-fraught heart, and bids it break.”
William Shakespeare
WE love YOU!!!
Good article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/apr/22/sean-smith-frontline-reporting
Moving tribute that explains a wee bit..
http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2011/04/sebastian-junger-remembers-tim-hetherington-201104
Personally, I though the article Kircher linked to mostly full of shit. Serial war photographers don’t get off on the danger? Well, maybe some, but I doubt it, and definitely not all, because I’ve heard a few talk about it, in person, and then there’s the end of “Dispatches,” which pretty much says it all. Doing good in this world and getting an adrenaline fix while doing it are not mutually exclusive. I’m sure the attempt to get that iconic image that defines a conflict is involved for most war photographers beyond the high. Hondros pulled it off in Iraq II with the blood splattered little girl. That shot will live forever in this life and no doubt grace George Bush’s torture chamber in hell if there is any such thing as justice in an afterlife. But I doubt it’s possible to get an iconic image out of the Libyan murder spree. The victory celebration where the NATO heads of state frolic sipping crude oil martinis in a hot tub bubbling with blood will no doubt be closed to the press.
i met tim very briefly at the loft once and he left his mark on me. i wonder of how many people can do that. very sad… he will be missed
from Erica:
From Erica McDonald:
In lieu of flowers, the loved ones of Chris Hondros kindly request donations be made to The Chris Hondros Fund. This fund will provide scholarships for aspiring photojournalists and raise awareness of issues surrounding conflict photography.
The Chris Hondros Fund
…c/o Christina Piaia
50 Bridge Street #414
Brooklyn, New York 11201
David, for all of you that knew Tim Hetherington personally, my condolences on your great loss.
I have written my piece http://lisahogben.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/sliding-doors-tim-hetherington-and-chris-hondros/ and I hope that him, his colleagues and his work will never be forgotten.
I doubt they will…
Dear MR.Harvey and photographers,
I am sorry for your friends.I am sending a rainbow. I hope you will feel better .
there is always a rainbow.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/62084163@N06/5645619748/in/photostream
your friend
Vissaria
If you can see the photo there are two rainbows.
I have never seen two rainbows!
Vissaria
Some of you might want to leave some words here:
http://timhetherington.org/condolences/
Vissaria, you have a good soul…
Vissaria… u have a great soul..yes Tim is in the other end of the rainbow..he is ok…he is in good hands…
please do not get sad or upset…we all going to die someday..its only natural..its just that some of us are “lucky” enough to die while doing while they are doing what they love..
And Tim did what he loved..he was “lucky”, blessed enough to die the “right” way,..an honorable way..
(amazing double rainbow photo by the way)…keep it up
uncle P;)
see ya soon
Filched from Twitter – Please take a moment to write a message to Tim Hetherington’s family and share it with his friends http://timhetherington.org/condolences/
David and Panos…
Very sorry to hear the loss of your friend Tim.
From what I’ve read here the world of photography has lost someone quite unique and a very sincere person.
Vissaria…
That is a lovely rainbow and of course you’ve managed to convey in one beautiful and poignant image all that has been written here…
What not to love !!!
messages,links,photos,words of love are traveling through the universe…
keep it up BURNIANS…
be strong…oime,VISSARIA,double rainbow…I missed it BUT my chickens have seen one!!!
Happy Easter from Grecolandia…yes,there is always a rainbow!!!
:o)
there is EVERYTHING to love.
as each of us struggles onwards with our own head full of ideas.
to satisfy the element in ourselves which makes our need.
to want to look deeper and create.
having to live the moments we create.
evolve within as we experience without.
whatever the outcome, whatever we create.
there is everything to love.
What not to love!…and then, here comes DAVIDB …there is everything to love!!!
oime…We Love you All…!
To the Spirits and beyond …Viva!!!
David B
oh yes oh yes oh yes……
beautiful words….
and
V
beautiful rainbows….
on a line……
xoxoxox
VISSARIA…
what a wonderful symbolic picture you have taken…thank you and much love
David
Lisa – Very struck by that fact that you lost two good friends this past year, one to suicide, as I lost both my best male friend and my best female friend, other than my wife, in the past year, the latter to suicide. Nice tribute to the two lost photographers. I thought about making mention on my blog, but then decided just to keep it in the flow of daily life and leave the tributes to those more qualified to do so.
Vissara – excellent tribute. Lovely rainbow photo.
David B – Yep
And Civi – yes everything to love.
DAH – I hope you are finding some peace.
Thanks to the many for the links. I have read some, but not all.
David (and everyone feeling the sorrow); please accept my condolensences for your losses. It is a consolation (I suppose…) to pass whilst pursuing a passion. However that doesn’t make things easier for those left behind… Best wishes everyone…
Spread the news : LOVE,PEACE and PHOTOGRAPHY*
*civilians can substitute…your choice:)))
FROSTYBILL:)
To the Spirits,upstairs,downstairs…VIVA!!!
The night after I heard that Tim passed away I had this dream; I’m walking down the stairs of the Kibbutz, and run into Tim, also on the way down –
– “Hey Tim… but… aren’t you supposed to be … ? Oh my god, get in touch with your family! They’re thinking that …”
He just looks back, smiles mysteriously, turns around the corner, and vanishes.
I stand there alone on the steps. I wake up.
ANTON…my ANTON…he was just going upstairs…
you are downstairs…
Coffee,eggs,ouzo…anyone…ANTON?
David, so sorry for the loss of your friend. The world is such a particularly upside down place these days – we all owe a debt to those who try to make sense out of it.
Dear photographers,
thank you so much for your nice coments.You are very,very nice people.
Uncle P.I am not upset,sad.I do not want to be good because the good die young.I am happy because I will be ten in few months and I am geting older.
Mr.David much love to you too and to all the people in the world.and happy easter.
Vissaria
Vissaria…
The only advantage I can see of being naughty is we save Santa Claus a lot of hard work…
Anyway good people like all of us photographers/Burnians – that of course includes you – round here can’t help being good, it’s in the blood… so don’t waste your time worrying about it an just BURN…
“How far that little candle throws its beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.”
The Merchant of Venice Act V, sc.1
William Shakespeare.
memories of Chris Hondros from Glenn Campbell .. nice one glenn.
http://glenncampbellspictures.com/blog/mates/vale-chris-and-tim/
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ALL..
i just received a note from Michael Christopher Brown…mostly saying ” i am glad to be alive”…had blood transfusion again yesterday, but in good spirits and in relatively good health all things considered….
cheers, david
” i am glad to be alive”
So are we!!!
Thank you all for caring. I’d like to write something, but I’m really not able. :(
ALL our love To TIM and to ALL journalists out there…who are looking from upstairs…
and to ALL the civilians who are next to the them…and they are also upstairs:
Chris Hondros, Freelance
April 20, 2011, in Misurata, Libya
Tim Hetherington, Freelance
April 20, 2011, in Misurata, Libya
Karim Fakhrawi, Al-Wasat
April 12, 2011, in Manama, Bahrain
Zakariya Rashid Hassan al-Ashiri, Al-Dair
April 9, 2011, in Al-Dair, Bahrain
Sabah al-Bazi, Al-Arabiya
March 29, 2011, in Tikrit, Iraq
Muammar Khadir Abdelwahad, Al-Ayn
March 29, 2011, in Tikrit, Iraq
Luis Emanuel Ruiz Carrillo, La Prensa
March 25, 2011, in Monterrey, Mexico
Mohammed al-Nabbous, Libya Al-Hurra TV
March 19, 2011, in Benghazi, Libya
Jamal al-Sharaabi, Al-Masdar
March 18, 2011, in Sana’a, Yemen
Ali Hassan al-Jaber, Al-Jazeera
March 13, 2011, in an area near Benghazi, Libya
Mohamed al-Hamdani, Al-Itijah
February 24, 2011, in Ramadi, Iraq
Ahmad Mohamed Mahmoud, Al-Ta’awun
February 4, 2011, in Cairo, Egypt
Le Hoang Hung, Nguoi Lao Dong
January 30, 2011, in Tan An, Vietnam
Gerardo Ortega, DWAR
January 24, 2011, in Puerto Princesa City, Philippines
Lucas Mebrouk Dolega, European Pressphoto Agency
January 17, 2011, in Tunis, Tunisia
Wali Khan Babar, Geo TV
January 13, 2011, in Karachi, Pakistan
Luciano Leitão Pedrosa, TV Vitória and Radio Metropolitana FM
April 9, 2011, in Vitória de Santo Antão, Brazil
Taha Hameed, Al-Massar TV
April 8, 2011, in Baghdad, Iraq
Umesh Rajput, Nai Dunia
February 22, 2011, in Raipur, India
Hilal al-Ahmadi, Freelance
February 17, 2011, in Mosul, Iraq
Ilyas Nizzar, Darwanth
January 3, 2011, in Pidarak, Pakistan
Alfrets Mirulewan, Pelangi Weekly
December 17, 2010, in Kisar, Maluku Islands, Indonesia
Omar Rasim al-Qaysi, Al-Anbar TV
December 12, 2010, in Ramadi, Iraq
Pervez Khan, Waqt TV
December 6, 2010, in Ghalanai, Pakistan
Abdul Wahab, Express News
December 6, 2010, in Ghalanai, Pakistan
Carlos Alberto Guajardo Romero, Expreso Matamoros
November 5, 2010, in Matamoros, Mexico
Francisco Gomes de Medeiros, Radio Caicó
October 18, 2010, in Caicó, Brazil
Tahrir Kadhim Jawad, freelance
October 4, 2010, in Garma, Iraq
Luis Carlos Santiago, El Diario
September 16, 2010, in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico
Misri Khan, Ausaf and Mashriq
September 14, 2010, in Hangu, Pakistan
Paul Kiggundu, TOP Radio and TV
September 11, 2010, in an area outside Kalisizio, Uganda
Safa al-Din Abdel Hamid, Al-Mosuliya
September 8, 2010, in Mosul, Iraq
Riad al-Saray, Al-Iraqiya
September 7, 2010, in Baghdad, Iraq
Ejaz Raisani, Samaa TV
September 6, 2010, in Quetta, Pakistan
Alberto Graves Chakussanga, Radio Despertar
September 5, 2010, in Luanda, Angola
Aleh Byabenin, Charter 97
September 3, 2010, in an area outside Minsk, Belarus
Barkhat Awale, Hurma Radio
August 24, 2010, in Mogadishu, Somalia
Ridwan Salamun, Sun TV
August 21, 2010, in Tual, Maluku Islands, Indonesia
Assaf Abu Rahal, Al-Akhbar
August 3, 2010, in an area near Al-Adaysseh, Lebanon
Ardiansyah Matra’is, Merauke TV
July 30, 2010, in Merauke, Indonesia
Vijay Pratap Singh, Indian Express
July 20, 2010, in Allahabad, India
Sokratis Giolias, Thema 98.9, Troktiko
July 19, 2010, in Athens, Greece
Jean-Léonard Rugambage, Umuvugizi
June 26, 2010, in Kigali, Rwanda
James P. Hunter, Fort Campbell Courier, U.S. military publications
June 24, 2010, in Kandahar, Afghanistan
Joselito Agustin, DZJC
June 16, 2010, in Baccara, Philippines
Desidario Camangyan, Sunrise FM
June 14, 2010, in Manay, Philippines
Ejazul Haq, City-42 TV
May 28, 2010, in Lahore, Pakistan
Fabio Polenghi, freelance
May 19, 2010, in Bangkok, Thailand
Ghulam Rasool Birhamani, Daily Sindhu Hyderabad
May 9 or 10, in Wahi Pandhi, Pakistan
Sardasht Osman, freelance
May 5, 2010, in Mosul, Iraq
Sheikh Nur Mohamed Abkey, Radio Mogadishu
May 4, 2010, in Mogadishu, Somalia
Sunday Gyang Bwede, The Light Bearer
April 24, 2010, in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria
Nathan S. Dabak, The Light Bearer
April 24, 2010, in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria
Germain Cyrille Ngota Ngota, Cameroon Express
April 22, 2010, in Yaoundé, Cameroon
Azamat Ali Bangash, Samaa TV
April 17, 2010, in Orakzai, Pakistan
Malik Arif, Samaa TV
April 16, 2010, in Quetta, Pakistan
Hiro Muramoto, Reuters
April 10, 2010, in Bangkok, Thailand
Clodomiro Castilla Ospino, El Pulso del Tiempo
March 19, 2010, in Montería, Colombia
Nahúm Palacios Arteaga, TV Channel 5
March 14, 2010, in Tocoa, Honduras
David Meza Montesinos, Radio El Patio, Radio America, Channel 45
March 11, 2010, in La Ceiba, Honduras
Joseph Hernández Ochoa, TV Channel 51
March 1, 2010, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Muhammad al-Rabou’e, Al-Qahira
February 13, 2010, in Beni Qais, Yemen
Rupert Hamer, Sunday Mirror
January 10, 2010, in an area near Nawa, Afghanistan
Stanislas Ocloo, Télévision Togolaise
January 9, 2010, in Cabinda province, Angola
Valentín Valdés Espinosa, Zócalo de Saltillo
January 8, 2010, in Saltillo, Mexico
Mohammad Sarwar, Aaj TV
September 3, 2010, in Quetta, Pakistan
Amira Hatem, Al-Arabiya
July 26, 2010, in Baghdad, Iraq
Mohamed Abd al-Kareem Hadi al-Bayati, Al-Arabiya
July 26, 2010, in Baghdad, Iraq
Aysar Mahmoud Hamid Zankana, Al-Arabiya
July 26, 2010, in Baghdad, Iraq
Henry Suazo, Radio HRN, Cablevisión del Atlántico
December 28, 2010, in La Masica, Honduras
Sun Hongjie, Northern Xinjiang Morning Post
December 28, 2010, in Kuitun, China
Mehmood Chandio, Awaz
December 5, 2010, in Mirpurkhas, Pakistan
Mazen Mardan al-Baghdadi, Al-Mosuliya
November 21, 2010, in Mosul, Iraq
Lala Hameed Baloch, Daily Intikhab
November 18, 2010, in an area outside Turbat, Pakistan
Rodolfo Maya Aricape, Radio Payumat
October 14, 2010, in Caloto, Colombia
Dickson Ssentongo, Prime Radio
September 13, 2010, in Nantabuliriwa, Uganda
Sayed Hamid Noori, Radio Television Afghanistan
September 5, 2010, in Kabul, Afghanistan
Adams Ledesma Valenzuela, Mundo Villa and Mundo Villa TV
September 4, 2010, in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Abdullahi Omar Gedi, Radio Daljir
August 31, 2010, in Galkayo district, Puntland, Somalia
Israel Zelaya Díaz, Radio Internacional
August 24, 2010, in an area near San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Miguel Belen, DWEB
July 31, 2010, in Iriga City, Philippines
Devi Prasad Dhital, Radio Tulsipur FM
July 22, 2010, in Tulsipur, Nepal
Marco Aurelio Martínez Tijerina, XEDD La Tremenda
July 10, 2010, in Montemorelos, Mexico
Hugo Alfredo Olivera Cartas, El Día de Michoacán, ADN
July 6, 2010, in Apatzingán, Mexico
Hem Chandra Pandey (Hemant Pandey), freelance
July 2, 2010, in Andhra Pradesh, India
María Elvira Hernández Galeana, Nueva Línea
June 28, 2010, in Coyuca de Benítez, Mexico
Juan Francisco Rodríguez Ríos, El Sol de Acapulco
June 28, 2010, in Coyuca de Benítez, Mexico
Luis Arturo Mondragón, Channel 19
June 14, 2010, in El Paraíso, Honduras
Edo Sule Ugbagwu, The Nation
April 24, 2010, in an area outside Lagos, Nigeria
Jorge Alberto Orellana, Televisión de Honduras
April 20, 2010, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Patient Chebeya, freelance
April 5, 2010, in Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Metin Alataş, Azadiya Welat
April 4, 2010, in Adana, Turkey
Manuel Juárez, Radio Super 10
March 26, 2010, in an area between Catacamas and Juticalpa, Honduras
José Bayardo Mairena, Excélsior
March 26, 2010, in an area between Catacamas and Juticalpa, Honduras
Evaristo Pacheco Solís, Visión Informativa
March 12, 2010, in Chilpancingo, Mexico
Arun Singhaniya, Today Group
March 1, 2010, in Janakpur, Nepal
Jamim Shah, Channel Nepal and Space Time Network
February 8, 2010, in Kathmandu, Nepal
Jorge Ochoa Martínez, El Sol de la Costa
January 29, 2010, in Ayutla de los Libres, Mexico
José Luis Romero, Línea Directa
January 2010, in Los Mochis, Mexico
Bobi Tsankov, freelance
January 5, 2010, in Sofia, Bulgaria …more…more
I copied and paste from the Committee to Protect Journalists
so many names…so many visions…all our love !!!
The Carlton Cinema (Toronto) is offering a series of free showings of Restrepo today, and today only:
http://www.cinemaclock.com/theatres/ont/Toronto/Carlton.html
A fitting tribute to Tim Hetherington on the first official day of the 2011 Contact Photography Festival.
I really looked up to Tim’s work. He stood out to me like few other journalists and documentarians. Even at the eight of his Oscar fame, he took the time to reply to several unsolicited emails from me, who he had never met. Sad, sad day when he and Chris were lost.
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