African migrants sit on the deck of an Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) patrol boat after arriving at the AFM Maritime Squadron base in Valletta’s Marsamxett Harbour July 20, 2014. 83 migrants were rescued by a freighter after they were found to be in distress and were then transferred to the Maltese patrol boat, according to local media.
I opted to shoot the arrival of this group of migrants from up on the bastions overlooking the Maritime Squadron’s base, rather than take up the army’s offer of access to the quay, because along with other journalists, I was using the location to cover the arrival of a boat in which 25 migrants had died. That particular operation was taking several hours – it wasn’t worth risking leaving our vantage point and then possibly missing the moment when the bodies would start to be brought out. It also gave me a different angle from the norm for pictures of arrivals.
I noticed the words “Being Human” on a migrant’s jacket, and felt that by keeping him in the centre of the frame, I’d be making a small statement of sorts.
Canon EOS-1D X
Canon EF400mm f/2.8L II USM + 1.4 Extender
Focal length 560mm
Manual exposure
Aperture f/11
Shutter 1/800 sec
ISO 400
Islelanders 