Here We Go Again Photo

Photographer’s Note

It's 11:30 PM, I'm having a friendly chat online, then... thump, thump - two mortar launches is what they sounded like. BOOM!! Run to the balcony with the camera, one impact, the dust and smoke fills the hotel courtyard. The late night diners and hotel staff are scattering. Too dark, damn wrong camera, run for the Sony so I can get some night shots. A firefight erupts in the street in front of the hotel, gettin video now. Then swishhhhhhhh right past my balcony - BOOM!!! Thump, another launch - BOOM! Gunshots in the street, aimed into the apartments across the road. Lots of radio chatter, they're trying to compose themselves. Get dressed quickly, grab the Canon, the flashlight and the room key and shoot down the stairwell - faster than the elevators. Run to the place of impact and start shooting. KBR security shows up, shoos me away and holds the press back, even CNN. I got the first and only pictures! Ha!

The blast did relatively minor damage. A guy sleeping in the being-renovated section of the resturaunt is slightly injured by flying glass from the windows in the background being shattered by shrapnel and blown out by the force of the blast. Didn't get much sleep that night. Power was out and the room was hotter than outside.

Just to record it somewhere since it wasn't reported by any of the news agencies - again last night 6 August, the hotel came under attack by mortars. They all impacted by the no-mans-land between the blast wall and the river. I got lucky and saw the fireworks from the first explosion, but no pics. This would be the forth attack I've been in - sheesh. Power was completely out last night, the emergency generator wasn't even working. Lots of bombs going off in the distance this morning. A sustained mortar attack on the Green Zone, at least six impacts - got one pic, nothing exciting. Tired, gonna be a long day. Sorry so cryptic - BE

charmante, petertee, Burnham, Proxilva has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

charmante (1053) 2004-08-07 1:03

a very impressing note. it's not a joke. each minute there are hundreds of such explosions all over the world & we have done nothing,,,no body cares what really goes on. I regret not doing the things our " will" can do/improve. thank you Bill.
technically, I prefer you had changed the framing a bit !

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centurion (0) 2004-08-07 3:58

Hey Bill. Your picture is OK, but your note is more than impressive. You have a risky life there, and I am really glad to see again every kind of picture from you by time to time.Be carefull.

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petertee (305) 2004-08-07 4:34

Bravo Bill, You have a good handle on 'interesting times' and obviously little time or inclination to try for artistic effect. You set yourself a high standard with your wordsmithing as well as your pix.
Keep your head down and keep snapping :o)
Cheers
Peter

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Burnham (2426) 2004-08-07 4:43

I really don't need CNN, I've got Bill ;oD The note here is very very good, and knowing that this is the only picture from the attack makes it very interesting. As always stay safe.

Proxilva (2157) 2004-08-07 5:25

it's a good reading note Bill.. i like the swiiissssesss and the thumbs in it very much...
but boy it's very close to you... this man looks pretty sharp dressed for some-one this close to exploding granates.... always good to see a post from you...

take care..

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