New York Times Photographer Has Legs Blown Off, Takes More Pictures

Joao Silva, a photographer for The New York Times, was working alongside troops in Afghanistan last year when he stepped on a landmine. The explosion cost him both his legs, but what did Silva do immediately after it happened? He took three pictures and then called his wife:

Immediately, there were medics working on me. I picked up a camera, shot a few frames. The frames weren’t very good, quite frankly, but I was trying to record. I knew it wasn’t good, but I felt alive. Adrenaline kicked in. I was compos mentis; I was on top of things. So, I made some pictures. I dropped the camera, then I moved to Plan B, which was to pick up the satellite phone. I called my wife, Vivian, and told her, ‘My legs are gone, but I think I’m going to live.’

That’s just a small part of the amazing speech he gave on August 2 at the Bronx Documentary Center. The Times has posted much more, and it’s well worth the read. Silva is gracious, humble and inspiring.

Without journalists like him, we don’t get the amazing coverage of events that we see each day online and in print. Reading his speech will definitely make you remember that.

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