Read the full article about Tim Hetherington here
Among the new books that come out every fall, there are always a few stand-outs. Long Story Bit by Bit: Liberia Retold is one of them. Although the book was technically released earlier this summer, the thought-provoking combination of photojournalism, reportage, and international affairs history is notable among the most interesting releases of 2009.
Journalist Tim Hetherington, who took photographs, conducted interviews, and wrote cross-referenced captions for each photo, worked hard for every inch of the beautiful hard-bound volume. He lived behind rebel lines in the African country of Liberia during its civil war there from 2003 through 2008.
His photographs, all taken on film (not digitally), sweep across the wide pages with an eerie sense of darkness, an effect that Hetherington is keenly aware of. But he felt it naturally came about because of the subject matter.
“That’s what I like about photography—part of it is almost inexplicable,” says Mr. Hetherington. “There’s a magic to it, which I kind of like. I like that bit that we can’t quite explain. We just know, does it move us or not, is it interesting?”