WORKING WITHIN THE RULES

U.S. military officials at Guantanamo Bay insist there are few detention centres in the world as open to the media as theirs. That said, they are quite specific about what you can and cannot photograph.

This image in particular was taken inside the new Camp 6, a medium security facility that has been adapted to be maximum security. 

My approach was to shoot everything I could and crop "in camera" to stay within the guidelines. This was no easy task, since most situations were fairly fluid and opportunities for good photos were not plentiful. 

At the end of each day, I sat down with a security officer and we went through 
ALL of my images – deleting those considered not publishable and cropping others to further hide 
identities or security details around the camp. There was a list, which I had to sign, saying which images were embargoed and for what reasons.

The debate about being free to photograph detainees who express a desire to be photographed continues. The Americans say they cannot allow photos of detainees because the Geneva Conventions state that they must not allow detainees to be exploited. But some lawyers argue that detainees who wish to be photographed are being denied their rights.

These arguments will continue in the courtrooms, but my job was to make the best images I could given a specific set of rules and difficult circumstances.