Tim Hetherington at Yossi Milo

Tim Hetherington
Untitled, Liberia, 2003 Digital C-print
(c) Tim Hetherington, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York

It is almost exactly a year since Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros were killed in Misrata, Libya. The passage of time is always somewhat of a surprise, even as we are powerless to affect it. The first exhibit of Tim’s work at Yossi Milo has just opened, and it was definitely the place to be last week.

The show is divided into work from Liberia (in the front room) and Afghanistan in the back. The work is large, the prints sharp, and the overwhelming sense is of a photographer just reaching his stride. “When someone dies, they die midsentence,” said his mother, Judith. That is so evident when you look at Tim's work, and I don't mean just his photos, but his films as well. Both Restrepo and Sleeping Soldiers bring war and the men who fight it to us in a way that is so personal, so without pretense, that we are brought closer to the humanity we might have forgotten.

The Liberia work as shown doesn’t have the cohesion that the Afghanistan work has. There are some marvelous images, but it seems more unfocused. This is more due to the image choices, then the work itself. The selection of images are only linked by location, and so as wonderful as they are, their impact is lessened. We don't know why Tim was there, or what he covered. For those who don't know about the country and Tim's experience there it is hard to see a thread running through this part of the exhibit..

Tim Hetherington
Untitled, Liberia, 2005 Digital C-print
(c) Tim Hetherington, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York

Tim Hetherington
Untitled, Liberia, 2004 Digital C-print
(c) Tim Hetherington, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York

But it is obvious that in Afghanistan Tim found himself. His desire to get to the core of the men and the war is so evident, and the photos so alive, you can imagine Tim there taking the photos. There is such a tenderness in those photos, not just because they capture these young men at their most vulnerable, but because you can feel Tim’s heart. That’s how strongly the experience is imprinted.

Tim Hetherington
Untitled, Korengal Valley, Kunar Province, Afghanistan, 2008 Digital C-print (c) Tim Hetherington, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York

Walking into the back room where the Afghanistan photos are I am stopped by the shocking intimacy of the Restrepo work, especially the sleeping soldiers. As I look at the photo of the men fooling around I can still see Tim—imagine him there. That’s how strongly the experience is imprinted.

Tim Hetherington
Alcantara, Korengal Valley, Kunar Province, Afghanistan, 2008 Digital C-print (c) Tim Hetherington, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York

Tim Hetherington
Kelso, Korengal Valley, Kunar Province, Afghanistan, 2008 Digital C-print (c) Tim Hetherington, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York

Hung as though we are looking at men in childhood bunk beds, the impact of the work is heightened. I am once again struck by how young they all seem, and by how close they are to each other. There is a physical intimacy between the soldiers that you don't usually see in photos. But that is part of Tim's gift: his ability to become one with his subjects, and so they let him into their world. Tim held the door opened and allowed us to enter a world we are not a part of. That was one of Tim's gifts.

Like all artists, Tim Hetherington's work outlives him. For that I am grateful, but the loss is even more keen because of the unique way in which he viewed the world, and because of his fierce desire to peel back the obvious to show us the base from which the actions and emotions sprang.

I miss Tim Hetherington for who he was and for the promise of what was still to come.

Why Does Lynsey Addario Have to Justify Her Work?

When Lynsey Addario and three others (Tyler Hicks, Anthony Shadid and Stephen Farrell) were released by the Libyan government, we all breathed a sigh of relief. An accomplished photographer who was honored with a MacArthur Genius Grant, Lynsey Addario is among the premier photojournalists working today. Yet after The New York Times ran an account of the release, several people commented by asking what a woman was doing in a war zone to begin with. I went back to look at the comments from their account, but most of the negative comments have been removed--why is that?.

There was this comment, however: "After the Lara Logan assault in Egypt, I consider it an act of utmost stupidity for any woman journalist to go into any war, combat zone. fighting strips people of much humanity and you should know that. And in an already sexually abusive towards woman region what was Lynsey doing there?? why didn't the 3 male reporters object for her own safety!
And why did NYT allow her to go on this mission!
The men, I dont care about ... thats what they do. The woman, in this region, with this much abuse potential.. someone should be sued !!!"

Coupled with esteemed photograher Harry Benson's recent screed about Lara Logan (who was molested by a crowd during her coverage of the uprising in Egypt): "The last place for a young, attractive woman to be is in the middle of an extremely dangerous situation surrounded by an angry mob. Not only does it put her in harm’s way, but it compromises her co-workers as well, since they have to try to protect her as best they can – sometimes an impossible task."

He continues, "I am all for women doing whatever job that men do. Honestly, many times I find the women I work with to be smarter than the men. But shame on the editors at CBS who assigned a beautiful woman to cover a very dangerous situation. Their lack of judgment should have been tempered with a little common sense. Their decision about whom to send to cover the uprising and political unrest should not have been made for fear of being politically incorrect."

Suddenly I feel like I'm back in the 1950's. Why the constant mention of "beautiful," and what the fuck is he talking about?

As Lynsey herself said: "To me, that’s grossly offensive. This is my life, and I make my own decisions. If a woman wants to be a war photographer, she should. It’s important. Women offer a different perspective. We have access to women on a different level than men have, just as male photographers have a different relationship with the men they’re covering.In the Muslim world, most of my male colleagues can’t enter private homes. They can’t hang out with very conservative Muslim families. I have always been able to. It’s not easy to get the right to photograph in a house, but at least I have one foot in the door. I’ve always found it a great advantage, being a woman."

It is insulting to Lynsey and all the other amazing photojournalists (including Caroline Cole, Carol Guzy, Stephanie Sinclair, Susan Meiselas, Nina Berman, Sara Terry, Mary F. Calvert and many others) who risk their lives, who make great sacrifices and who face danger to say they should not do what they believe in because they are women.

I do not need to recount the amazing bravery and accomplishments of women throughout history--or do I?. This is 2011: take your patriarchal, condescending, asshole ideas and throw them away. Women make choices and they live with them--same as men. We should thank those who are braver than ourselves for the incredible risks they sometimes have to take to show the world to us. Where would we be without them?