Heaven Bound

This would have to be one of the most confronting photos of the year. It also epitomises the reason for Christmas.

Sure there have been dozens – thousands – of bloodied survivors and non-survivors photographed around the world.  Victims who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Photographers who happened to be in the wrong place at the right time.

But there is a clinical nature to this photograph today earlier today in Turkey, almost, ironically given it was in an art gallery, artistic about it.  A clean shaven, black suited gunman/police officer lying over the cruciform corpulent corse of the Russian ambassador to Turkey, whom he has just murdered. It has a filmic air to it.

As in the famous photograph of the summary execution of a Viet-Cong member by a South Vietnamese police officer, the still footage is far more shocking than the film footage…