British war photographer Paul Lowe dies after California stabbing

Alex Benjamin

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This is such a sad and tragic story.

Murder charge in Los Angeles against teenage son of acclaimed photojournalist, praised for ‘shining a spotlight on siege of Sarajevo’

Son charged with murdering British war photographer Paul Lowe in California

Murder charge in Los Angeles against teenage son of acclaimed photojournalist, praised for ‘shining a spotlight on siege of Sarajevo’
www.theguardian.com
 
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Alex Benjamin

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From another, older article in The Guardian:

Paul Lowe’s CV​


Paul Lowe.Photograph: Justin McKie

Born: London, 1963.
Trained: BA in history, Cambridge University. BTec in documentary photography, Gwent College of Higher Education. PhD in photography, University of the Arts London.
Influences: “Rembrandt, Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, Garry Winogrand, Tony Ray Jones, Gilles Peress.”
High point: “Documenting the extraordinary resilience of the citizens of Sarajevo as they defended their city not just with guns on the frontlines but with culture and art. Their incredible courage, humour and creativity was inspiring.”
Low point: “The fact that, despite all of our coverage of the atrocities taking place in Bosnia, the international community failed to intervene, and it took the massacre of 8,000 men and children in Srebrenica to force their hand. And then, to watch the same unfolding in Ukraine today.”
Top tip. “Let your subject breathe, let the situation unfold. And think about how the aesthetic choices you make contribute to the meaning of your photograph.”

A kid playing with a ball next to a tank trap: Paul Lowe’s best photograph

‘The siege of Sarajevo was very hard on children, who obviously didn’t want to be stuck indoors. They would risk their lives for a little pleasure’
www.theguardian.com
 

Sirius Glass

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So sad. The violent act should have been to the perpetrator.
 

loccdor

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Terrible thing to do to your own family.
 

BrianShaw

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An extremely sad and pathetic story.

A bit of dark humor… when first reported on one of Los Angeles’ premiere news programs it was said, “Famous photojournalist accused of being stabbed to death by son.” Weird story writing (or story reading).
 

Molli

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This is such an awful end to a life lived with such compassion and empathy.
Thank you for also including the Guardian's story on Paul Lowe. It always seems like a life lost again when ALL it becomes in anyone's memory is the manner of their death.
I hope people will read a little about him and know that he helped make the world a better place by his existence and his work and he helped other's tell their life's stories and not just the way in which they ended.
 
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Alex Benjamin

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More information about this tragedy in The New York Times (paywall).

His son Emir had long struggled with his mental health and was hospitalized on multiple occasions for psychosis over the past year, Amra Abadzic Lowe, Mr. Lowe’s wife of almost 30 years, said in a phone interview on Wednesday.

Their son took a trip to the United States that was supposed to last days, but he had not returned after more than two months, she said. Mr. Lowe had traveled to California to try to persuade him to come home with him.

“We were obviously very nervous about the whole situation,” Ms. Abadzic Lowe said.
Mr. Lowe and his son had been driving around the mountains in the Los Angeles area, she said, and had gotten out of their car to admire the views just before the incident occurred.

Ms. Abadzic Lowe said she had been in touch with her husband minutes before he was stabbed, and he had said their son seemed calm. But, she said, in cases of severe mental illness, “unfortunately, you don’t ever know what’s happening inside somebody’s brain.”

Paul Lowe, Award-Winning British Photojournalist, Dies at 60

He was killed in a stabbing near Los Angeles, and his 19-year-old son was arrested, the authorities said. Mr. Lowe had earned acclaim for documenting the siege of Sarajevo and other conflicts.
www.nytimes.com
 
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Alex Benjamin

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Paul Lowe speaking about documentary photography and history (2018)

"Testimonies of Light: Photography, Witnessing and History" by Dr Paul Lowe​


 

ajmiller

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A podcast interview with Ben Smith (A Small Voice podcast - worth a listen to his other interviews) from 2018 parts 1 and 2



 

BradS

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California is such a dangerous place. Where else on earth can one expect to be stabbed to death by one's own son while viewing the beautiful scenery. California, California, California...terrible place.
 

BrianShaw

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BradS said:
California is such a dangerous place. Where else on earth can one expect to be stabbed to death by one's own son while viewing the beautiful scenery. California, California, California...terrible place.
Click to expand...

“expect”??????
 

BradS

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BrianShaw said:
“expect”??????
Click to expand...

Hmmm, good point....but maybe the California haters do actually expect to be murdered here?
I really don't know what others' subconscious prejudice leads them to believe.
 
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miha

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Terrible news, terrible thread.
 

Sirius Glass

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miha said:
Terrible news, terrible thread.
Click to expand...

No so great news; but the thread is not terrible, it is informative about one incident.
 

foc

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Mental health issues can, unfortunately, have serious consequences. It isn't limitated to any specific location.
 
  • loccdor
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  • Reason: Forget it, this is a photography forum
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