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 A young girl plays with a ball in the street alongside the River Miljack
A young girl plays with a ball in the street alongside the River Miljack Copyright  Paul Lowe / The VII Foundation
Copyright Paul Lowe / The VII Foundation
Copyright Paul Lowe / The VII Foundation

In pictures: Late UK photographer Paul Lowe's historical shots

By Jonny Walfisz
Published on Updated
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With the news of Paul Lowe's sudden passing, we look back at some of the most important shots of his career.

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The world of war photography — and peacebuilding — is still reeling from the news of British photographer Paul Lowe's death aged 60 on the hiking trail in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles last weekend.

Lowe’s career as a photojournalist saw him cover some of the 20th century’s most important historical moments, from the fall of the Berlin Wall to Nelson Mandela’s release from prison.

However, his work during the Yugoslav Wars will likely endure the longest. Arriving in Sarajevo in 1992, as Yugoslavia was in the midst of a violent breakup, he was there for the siege of Bosnia’s capital that would last until 1996.

Unlike many other war photographers who came to the Balkans in the 1990s, Lowe chose to remain in Sarajevo and Bosnia, where he tirelessly worked on helping the newly independent post-war society heal from what it was forced to endure.

Here is a selection of shots from Lowe’s career, which offers incisive and sincere windows into conflict, despair, and humanity.

Children look through the gates of a feeding center during a famine
Children look through the gates of a feeding center during a famine Paul Lowe / The VII Foundation
Western photojournalists take pictures of a starving child during the 1992 famine caused by the civil war in Somalia.
Western photojournalists take pictures of a starving child during the 1992 famine caused by the civil war in Somalia. Paul Lowe / The VII Foundation
A Chechen soldier laughs after repelling a Russian attack on the outskirts of Grozny in December 1994
A Chechen soldier laughs after repelling a Russian attack on the outskirts of Grozny in December 1994 Paul Lowe / The VII Foundation
A wounded civilian is helped to safety after a Russian bombing attack that killed 18 people, including American photographer Cynthia Elbaum
A wounded civilian is helped to safety after a Russian bombing attack that killed 18 people, including American photographer Cynthia Elbaum Paul Lowe / The VII Foundation
Egyptian United Nations peacekeeping soldiers assist an injured woman fleeing the scene of an explosion in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in the winter of 1994
Egyptian United Nations peacekeeping soldiers assist an injured woman fleeing the scene of an explosion in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in the winter of 1994 Paul Lowe / The VII Foundation
A couple laughs together on the west side of the Berlin Wall as the first people begin crossing into East Berlin in November 1989
A couple laughs together on the west side of the Berlin Wall as the first people begin crossing into East Berlin in November 1989 Paul Lowe / The VII Foundation
Blood and footprints in the snow following a Russian attack that killed a civilian driver in Chechnya in December 1994.
Blood and footprints in the snow following a Russian attack that killed a civilian driver in Chechnya in December 1994. Paul Lowe / The VII Foundation
A line of imams pray as the bodies of 40 Muslims are prepared for reburial after being exhumed in 2000.
A line of imams pray as the bodies of 40 Muslims are prepared for reburial after being exhumed in 2000. Paul Lowe / The VII Foundation
Paul Lowe
Paul Lowe Justin McKie/Justin McKie

Paul Lowe (6 November 1963 – 12 October 2024)

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