Near Dark

• Prize
  Bronze in Press/War
• Photographer
  Martyn Aim, New Zealand

From the mass graves and burning oil fields of northern Iraq to the prisons and slave markets of Mosul, the shared testimony of Iraqi's who have fled Islamic State occupation are unimaginable in their cruelty. It is not possible to bomb this fierce philosophy into submission. These photographs were taken during my daily coverage of the war in Iraq working as a photojournalist. I began to strive to see beyond the conflict and to capture the terrible surreal beauty conjured in moments of unexpected silence, in stillness, on deserted streets. They are dark visions that stopped me in my tracks.