Haiti Earthquake


  • Photographer
    michael mullady
  • Prize
    1st Place / Editorial/General News
  • Company/Studios
    Freelance
  • Date of Photograph
    01/30/10
  • Technical Info
    ISO 100 1/160 1.4

On 01/12/10 an earthquake with a catastrophic magnitude of 7.0 struck Haiti, the western hemisphere's poorest nation where 72% of the population live on less than $2 a day. The earthquakes epicentre was near the town of Leogane, approximately 16 miles west of Port au Prince, Haiti's capital. Due to the earthquakes close proximity to the capital city, where many are housed in poor densely-packed shantytowns and badly-constructed buildings, the earthquake had far greater consequences then similar natural disasters in other nations. As of February 12, an estimated three million people were affected by the quake. The Haitian Government reports that between 217,000 and 230,000 people had been identified as dead, an estimated 300,000 injured, and an estimated 1,000,000 homeless.

Story

You're in Haiti, answering these questions. Tell us about your day to day life there since you've been in the country. As a photographer, how do you choose where to focus your camera and your attention? How much time are you spending photographing and what other activities are you involved in? What else should we know about the situation, from your vantage point?
Haiti was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. The things I witnessed, I hope all you reading this, will never have to go through. It’s still difficult for me to fully comprehend what happened. It was a horrific tragedy. When I first arrived, bodies lined the streets and the smell of death pierced the air. I immediately began documenting my surroundings. It’s challenging, but I believe most photojournalist have to put up a shield when doing this kind of work. You must become numb to what you’re seeing. It was difficult for me to think about light and composition when your shooting dead bodies or being shot at in police/looter crossfire, but that’s the reality and what I learned shooting my first major news event. What I’ve witnessed will be sure to haunt me. My work takes a huge emotional toll on me and that’s something I can live with.
Day to day life in Haiti was a logistical nightmare. Getting anything done in that country is extremely difficult. There were a few hotels where people were staying but they were very expensive. I camped out with many of the aid organizations in the United Nations compound near the airport. As a recent graduate of college and working independently, I used the little resources I had to survive and work in Haiti for 1 month. Every image I captured during the earthquakes aftermath was a direct refection of my relationships with the locals and more importantly my ability as a human being to connect with my subjects, and gain the necessary intimacy needed to create the story the world needs to see. With every image I took in Haiti, not only did I learn more about the people and their country but about myself.

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