Speaking of Powerful Photos: John Moore’s Pakistan Story
Travel Blog • Jim Benning • 04.09.08 | 3:23 PM ET
Yesterday, I noted the riveting story behind the Pulitzer Prize-winning Burma photo. Today, I was chatting with a photographer who told me that many in the news photo biz expected Getty Image’s John Moore to win the breaking news photography Pulitzer for his shots of the Benazir Bhutto assassination in Pakistan in December.
Moore was the only American photographer on the scene.
It turns out that Moore, too, has recounted the story of the moments when he captured some horrifying images. He posted the tale on the Getty Images site in January, but this was the first time I’d read it. I figure others probably missed it, too. Here’s the link. It’s powerful stuff.
He thought he was simply covering a campaign rally. That changed fast:
I turned on my flash, but just before resetting the lens, I turned and glanced back at her car.
Just then I heard three shots, which sounded as if they were fired from close to her car. I watched her drop down through the sunroof, and I raised my camera, my finger pressed down on the shutter release.
Just as the camera came up in front of my face, the bomb went off.
Moore also recounted the story in a moving audio slide show in the New York Times.
Related on World Hum:
* The Story Behind the Pulitzer Prize-Winning Burma Photo
Email to friend
Twitter
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Mixx
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! Buzz
Jim Benning is the editor and co-founder of World Hum.
Joanna Kakissis 04.09.08 | 5:14 PM ET
Yeah, I’m wondering why John Moore didn’t get it either. He won practically every other major photography award this year for his Bhutto photos.
car lease 04.10.08 | 9:06 AM ET
Oh my God. That was horrible, very disturbing photos. Poor John. It probably was traumatic for him being in the middle of those chaos. He said Bhutto’s supporters in front of him had shielded him from the blast. He was extremely lucky.
toronto wedding 06.06.08 | 12:26 PM ET
ya..thats horrible…..=(