Tim Hetherington

I don’t care what anyone says. I don’t buy that taking pictures of things you create is fine art, while documentation isn’t. Either it all is or it all isn’t. And I buy even less that one has more value than the other. It’s what you make of it. You make it work, it’ll speak. You don’t, and it isn’t worth the pixels you show it on. I also don’t buy that we need to make weddings better than they are. They are wonderful on their own. Moments are infinite. Craft it if you want, that’s fine, but it’s all there for you, either way. You just need to look. Life is like that. It’s slippery and fast. It’s hard to hold onto. But it’s always there for you.

I can’t even say how sad I was to hear Tim Hetherington was killed Wednesday. I’m not just a fan of his work, but his beliefs and ideas. If you’re not familiar, you can read about him on the New York Times Lens Blog. His imagery – both stills and motion – are dignified and powerful. They are captivating, and they speak with grace. They speak loudly without raising the volume.

Now that is life. When I see what he put into it, I feel like I’m just barely starting to dig in. There is so much out there. Weddings or war, or anything in between, images reflect our humanity. I hate the labels. They’ll lead you astray. You just need to believe. Quite clearly, Tim Hetherington believed.