Local photographer makes international waves
ROSEBANK – A photo taken by local photographer Daylin Paul at the #FeesMustFall protest at Wits has made it into the New York Times.
Bringing the news to the public can sometimes be a dangerous and dirty job, but local Rosebank resident, Daylin Paul, lives for it.
Freelance photographer, Paul has had one of his #FeesMustFall photographs used in the New York Times and The Guardian newspapers.
This was after he had sold his photograph of a Wits student falling onto a stun grenade which set her alight to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“After taking the photograph, I looked at it and I knew it was different to anything else I have ever taken before. It was a special photo, it happened in a split second and I was able to capture that,” said Paul.
He explained that the events leading up to the capturing of the photograph were so calm, but he could feel the tension.
Students were being escorted by police back from a protest to the Wits campus on the Jorrisen Street side, when the chaos erupted. Stun grenades were being thrown by police and students were screaming and running away.
“The photograph has received some negative and positive feedback from the community because it seems that I stopped to take the photograph rather than helping the girl which was on fire. However, the photo has been shared numerous times on Facebook and had lots of reactions, which is good.”
Paul said a photograph had to tell a story.
He believes photography is a great mass communication tool to depict certain messages or conditions and his photograph was able to depict the severity of the #FeesMustFall protests.
He added that being a freelance photographer had its ups and downs. “You rush out to these things and you wait for that special photo, sometimes incurring injuries, putting your life and risk…”
Details: www.daylinpaul.com
