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sniper to take my shot as he moved position . Little did I know one of the images he was making would become part of a world award-winning exhibition of his work in Ukraine .
It was now becoming routine that Kiran would identify his subject and go to work on it . This afforded me time to either document him working , or to look around at the landscape surrounding us . It also influenced my decision to mostly use my 70-200 mm lens to try and bring a distinct perspective to what we were seeing as Kiran shoots from 16-70 mm only . This means he must get remarkably close to his subjects and it ’ s amazing to watch how he puts people at ease , and how long they stay with him as if hypnotized by the sound of his motor drive . Leaving him photographing a lady on a nearby damaged balcony , I noticed some older ladies outside an undamaged apartment block with their shopping bags and I wandered over . Initially , they were emotionless to my presence , but a few smiles and hand gestures had them smiling and posing for pictures . These moments were precious for me , and I prefer the distance my long lens gives me when photographing , even though the resulting images are highly intimate and personal . The warmth of this moment , against the macabre back drop of bombed out buildings , was part of the juxtaposition of thought that would accompany us throughout Ukraine . Connecting with these beautiful souls in their darkest moments , while bringing joy , also tore at my heart as I felt powerless to help , with dark imaginings that my pictures from this trip won ’ t be able to make a difference for them .
Kiran , on the surface , seemed mostly unfazed , but
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