Bloomberg photographer Kelvin Ma took the photo of wheelchair-bound Jeff Bauman near the marathon finish line — moments after he looked into the eyes of one of the men who tried to kill him.
Ma writes, “We were evacuated off the bridge shortly thereafter, at which point I texted my mom that I was OK and sent out a two-word Tweet—’I’m OK.’—for everyone else. I then contacted Bloomberg News, and the photo editor, Graham Morrison, encouraged me to find a place to sit down, regain my composure and transmit the images I had captured. I was running on pure adrenaline and had no idea what to do, but Morrison’s reassurance and counseling through all of the trauma and chaos helped me stay grounded in the situation.
“After securing an internet connection in the Prudential Center, I pushed my photos to the wire. I sent more emails and made more social media posts to let people know I was OK, and then headed back toward the scene, making some more photos along the way.
“The outpouring of support from the photojournalism community has been incredible, whether it be from people I’ve known for years to someone I just met on Monday. I can’t express enough how grateful I am to have such supportive brothers and sisters in my corner every step of the way.
“I tracked down the last runner I photographed before the blast and gave her a hug. Down to a matter of seconds, it really was a miracle she was standing there unscathed. I have never been so happy to see someone I hadn’t met yet.
“Around 9 p.m. Tuesday, I saw a familiar face on the New York Times website. Jeff Bauman, whose horrific injuries had kept me awake the night before, had survived and was stable in a local hospital. Learning that he had made it lifted the heavy cloud that had engulfed me. His recovery will no doubt be long and difficult, but he is still with us.”
Read more here.
