Light Riot Photography

Another shot from the tunnels in Croatia. The bomb blasts ripped twisted the rebar, turning the blast door into a maw

On the last day of my trip to Haiti I managed to get access to Cité Soleil, a notorious slum in Port-au-Prince, sitting between the beach and the airport. As we were wrapping up the shoot, my driver pointed out something on a street we were passing. It was a young man - most likely a teenager - who had been shot and killed in a protest shortly before.

I've had to take photos of bodies and injuries several times, but as part of a wider scene or story. I had no context for this young man. I didn't know who he was, who his family was, where he was from, or what had driven him to take part in the confrontation that ended his life. All I knew was that he was there, alone, ignored but for a few curious glances and a pair of disinterested police standing nearby.

Without context, taking photos of a dead man seems more voyeuristic that journalistic. I took this photo because I think it shows the duality of the moment. The aggressiveness of his fist, still clenched against the blood and brain matter on the pavement, but also the loneliness of a death that seemed, at the time, pointless.

I don't know if I succeeded, but I hope you agree.