The shot that nearly killed me: War photographers

Mads Nissen: 'Suddenly this guy jumped on the the tank. I'm not that interested in pictures of tanks burning – I'm interested in people. I had wanted to capture the sense of release that everyone had, and this became the shot.' Photograph: Mads Nissen/Berlingske/Panos Pictures

This incredibly amazing article retells the stories of 18 war time photographers who have risked everything to stay with the story and get the shot. It’s a story that’s been told over and over, but so has the story of war. One of my favorite movies from the 80′s was a James Woods film called Salvador, and told the story of a war time photographer and his navigation through conflict. I highly recommend both this article and that movie.

I’d been in Afghanistan for a month when I stepped on the landmine. I was the third man in line, and as I put my foot down, I heard a metallic click and I was thrown in the air. I knew exactly what had happened. As the soldiers dragged me away from the kill zone, I took these pictures. When people around me have been hurt or killed, I’ve recorded it. I had to keep working. The soldiers were yelling for the medics. I knew my legs had gone, so I called my wife on the satellite phone and told her not to worry. The pain came later, back in intensive care, when infections set in and they nearly lost me a couple of times.

Via: The Guardian