The Guardian: The shot that nearly killed me: War photographers – a special report “No pictures,” someone yelled. I told them I’d stop shooting if they stopped killing him. They didn’t. As the man was set on fire, he began to run. I was framing my next shot when a bare-chested man came into view and swung a machete into his blazing skull. I tried not to smell the burning flesh and shot a few more pictures, but I was losing it and aware that the crowd could turn on me at any time. The victim was moaning in a low, dreadful voice as I left. I got in my car and, once I turned the corner, began to scream. You’re not just a journalist or a human being, you’re a mixture of both, and to try to separate the two is complicated. I’ve often felt guilty about my pictures. I worked in South Africa for years and was shot three times. The fourth and final injury, in Afghanistan in 1999, wasn’t the worst, but I decided enough was enough. I was looking to settle. Nineteen months later, I met my wife. Photo: Greg Marinovich, Soweto, 1990.

The Guardian: The shot that nearly killed me: War photographers – a special report

“No pictures,” someone yelled. I told them I’d stop shooting if they stopped killing him. They didn’t. As the man was set on fire, he began to run. I was framing my next shot when a bare-chested man came into view and swung a machete into his blazing skull. I tried not to smell the burning flesh and shot a few more pictures, but I was losing it and aware that the crowd could turn on me at any time. The victim was moaning in a low, dreadful voice as I left. I got in my car and, once I turned the corner, began to scream. You’re not just a journalist or a human being, you’re a mixture of both, and to try to separate the two is complicated. I’ve often felt guilty about my pictures. I worked in South Africa for years and was shot three times. The fourth and final injury, in Afghanistan in 1999, wasn’t the worst, but I decided enough was enough. I was looking to settle. Nineteen months later, I met my wife.

Photo: Greg Marinovich, Soweto, 1990.

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