This was published 14 years ago
Justin McManus' bushfire photos
8 ImagesPhotographing the devastation caused by the 2009 bushfires near Marysville was the closest photographer Justin McManus had been to a news story. He won a World Press Photo Award for one of the photographs from this series, a shot of Jennifer Wood returning to her home near Narbethong, south of Marysville, after the fires. Jennifer's partner and baby son were at home in Narbethong when the fires hit, with Jennifer trapped outside the fire zone at a road block unable to find out what had happened to her family or home. Justin hitched a ride with Jennifer back to her community and documented the emotional reunion between the family. He has mixed feelings about the award " you receive this accolade, whereas everyone else suffered all this loss and heartbreak. It doesn't sit that easy. But in the end this was a picture that summed up Black Saturday".
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