"Restrepo" Co-Director Tim Hetherington Killed in Libya

Tim Hetherington, co-director of the documentary film Restrepo, was killed today in Libya during an explosion that killed another photo-journalist and injured several others.  Hetherington's photos have a fine art quality to them, bringing an aestheticism to chaos.  I have heard people critique the notion of making decay and despair look beautiful, but I think in many cases he brought a humanity to his subjects by photographing them in this way.  He also used his style to create contrast that is poignant and sometimes achingly sad.

It is not surprising that he was killed in the field, considering that he frequented the world's battle grounds, documenting the human suffering he encountered there.  However, it is even more tragic to lose a principled journalist whose stated purpose was to document the reality on the ground, without being tainted by politics.  This is the spirit of journalism that media needs.

Stay tuned for a review of Hetherington and Sebastian Junger's film Restrepo about American soldiers defending an observation post in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley.
Below is more of Hetherington's work that can be found on his site.

LA Times: "Libya blast kills photojournalists Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros"
Vanity Fair: "Tim Hetherington, 40, Killed in Libya"
The Atlantic: "Tim Hetherington in Sierra Leone"
Tim Hetherington's Website