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was possible . Curfew was around 10pm so we were usually skidding back to our hotel in Lviv that first week , with a carrier bag full of junk food from a gas station just in time . Then , inevitably , Kiran and I would talk often till well past midnight before he had to upload .
It was impossible not to share our feelings . We were with amputees , some just weeks from the front line , receiving therapy at an equine centre . Refugees finding safety in a monastery after weeks , or months , of bombing . In each situation and environment Kiran always seemed to blend in and cast his spell on his subjects to make his images . His use of light , or lack of light , was amazing , as I watched his technique marvelling at the way he sees the world through his lenses . Of course , these skills have been developed around the world in the most extreme circumstances over twentyfive years , but to witness it firsthand was incredibly special .
What was becoming extremely apparent , as we interviewed mothers in their bombed apartments , was there was something extremely special about the bond between Kiran , Andriy and myself . It was so much part of the amazing and insightful interviews we were given and the pictures that Kiran was able to make .
Soon our days in Lviv ended . Our pattern of breakfast at the Loft 7 , conversations with Colin , the ex South African special forces guy , who always sat in the same seat all day , and days with Andriy on assignment were over . We visited with Omel , our main contact in Lviv , and he and Kiran lined up various stories we wanted to chase . Special approval was needed to enter “ hot spots ,” so Omel went to work obtaining what we needed as we prepared to make our way to Kyiv . The journey would now move into a new dimension , as we witnessed the massive destruction of Russian missiles for the first time .
We rode out of Lviv on a beautiful summer ’ s morning with our fixer , Andriy accompanying us in his car . Picking our way through traffic , ordinary Ukrainians on their way to work on buses and trams , the normality of life was still unsettling to me in those early days .
Out in the countryside the two-lane road was tree-lined and all-around fields of wheat and sunflowers dominated the view . A curiosity stop about seventy-five kilometres out of Lviv saw us pulling over to visit the fifteenth century Olesko Castle we could see from the road . It wasn ’ t open to visitors unfortunately , so we just took a coffee , shot some pictures , and rode on .
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