Anton Hammerl must have been the nicest press photographer out there. I saw him a few times in the last couple of years, as we occasionally covered the same events for the South African press. You couldn't miss him, really. He looked like he should be sitting around cafés in Paris, talking about art. During our very first encounter, and probably my first time covering a news event, I stood in front of him, waiting for some protest march to walk by. Usually, when things get a bit tense, press photographers wouldn't think twice before walking all over you to get their shot. But that day, with the simplest gesture and without saying a word, Anton got me to make room for him, managed to get his shot, and basically taught me everything worth knowing about press photography etiquette.
It's absolutely tragic that he died in such gruesome circumstances. But I believe he was out there doing what he loved to do. Doing safe and boring corporate shoots in London, grinding his teeth and wishing he'd made different choices, might have killed him too eventually.
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