Exposure

We were driving along a dusty track in a rural region of northern Tanzania when we spotted some children swimming in a shallow muddy lake. Brent Stirton, grabbing his camera, leapt from the Land Rover and waded straight into the water without even stopping to slip off his shoes.

In parts of rural Africa, children regularly wash in the places where animals drink and defecate, catching water related diseases like diarrhoea and schistosomiasis.

The result of our stop was a beautiful but disturbing photograph, typical of Stirton, that captured a whole issue in a single moment. An innocently beautiful young boy, with water droplets glistening over chestnut skin, just the ominous silhouette of cattle behind.

Back in London

I met Stirton again in January, in a few snatched London hours between his returning from photographing the aftermath of the Tsunami and flying out again to Iraq. The glaze in his eyes was not just due to jet lag.

“The day after Boxing Day I flew into Sri Lanka and just started shooting. I took mothers to where their house had been, their children had lived, and shot them in the empty space. Tears are very moving for me.”

Stirton was introduced to photojournalism through boxing against black hardmen from Durban slums in his native South Africa. They showed him a world of factional infighting even the local news was missing. Stirton sold articles about it to newspapers, paying his way though journalism college. They wanted pictures to accompany the pieces, so Stirton bought his first camera.

“Because I'd build up relationships with the gangs, I was able to get pictures of people