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Quotation

It was early and freezing. There was a group of men, preparing the burial of a young boy. Children were dying daily. I felt I had to get this one right. That this might convey something about what was going on. And there was this, man. I thought he had to be the boy's father. I was searching for some sign that it was okay to be there. That he accepted me. I'm faced with this every time. "Can I take a photo that tells their story?" The way they would if they could tell it? And is that my job? Or, shouldn't I instead use this family to tell something bigger and in some ways more important? At the risk of reducing them to an example, to victims. In times of war or extreme poverty, the codes for civilized behavior are suspended. And so-called normal life, nobody would go to a house where people are grieving and photograph them. I try to approach people with respect. I try not to speak too loud. Or move too fast.