Black Market Trade in Asia

I found this rather stunning, 6-part piece on the black market of animal trade in Asia. The photos are all in black and white, which I feel works well for this particular story.

The photographer, Patrick Brown, was able to work on the story for five years, and becuse of that, had a chance to photograph a bile farm, the arrest of poachers, and a governmental raid on millions of dollars worth of animals. There's also a sad bit about an innocent woman who got caught up in the middle of an illegal trade and is immediately given the death penalty.

The photos, along with the music and the way the photos are lined up to it, plus his intervies, all add up to a pretty powerful piece.

The story definitely dampened my day, but one of my favorite parts is when Brown emphasizes that while the trade is already occuring, and he can't stop it on his own, he needs to document it so that a large audience sees it and is hopefully inspired to act. That's one of the things about photojournalism that I, personally, have to be reminded of when I see difficult situations, and I appreciate his emphasis. He's obviously passionate about this cause, and it shows.


Oh, and by the way, bile is fluid secreted in the liver and stored in the gall bladder. I'll admit, I had no idea. Had to look it up. Yummy.