Less than two months ago, the renowned photographer and film director Tim Hether­ington came to Colgate to present his strik­ing war photographs and documentary film Restrepo. Sadly, he was killed yesterday in the besieged city of Misrata, while he was photo­graphing the Libyan conflict.

Hetherington dedicated his life to photo­graphing and documenting stories of war. He began his brave career in Liberia, where he captured disturbing images of the civil war that plagued the nation for over a decade. Through­out his stay in Africa, Hetherington took pic­tures of the conflicts themselves, as well as more emotional photographs of victims and children affected in the area.

After leaving Africa, Hetherington fo­cused his attention on the United States’s conflict with Afghanistan. In addition to photojournalism, Hetherington began film­ing a documentary about an American pla­toon of soldiers stationed in Afghanistan. The film, titled Restrepo, gave a raw depiction of the difficult trials faced by the soldiers, as well as the relationships formed between them. Released in 2010, Restrepo received an Academy Award nomination for Best Docu­mentary, among other distinctions.

On February 21, members of the Colgate community were fortunate enough to hear Hetherington speak and present his work on campus. During his stay at Colgate, Hether­ington gave a lecture titled “A Photojournalist in War Zones: West Africa and Afghanistan,” which focused on his personal experiences and photography in both areas. Later that evening, he presented Restrepo at the Ham­ilton Theater, and answered questions from the audience. The events were both informa­tive and inspirational, and certainly impacted those who attended.

It is a grave tragedy to lose such a tal­ented photojournalist, director and human being. Hetherington committed himself completely to his career, which unfortu­nately was the cause of his untimely death. Though he is sadly no longer with us, his legacy will certainly live on. The Colgate community can celebrate the life of Tim Hetherington through his inspiring film and photography, as well as the memories of his stay on campus.