Last week, I photographed a men who is about to wins his fight. Not against his illness. But for his right to die how and when he wants if his condition worsen to a point he has no quality of life, completely dependent on others. Thanks to bill 52.
Ghislain Leblond of Quebec City suffers from a neuromuscular condition similar to Lou Gehrig’s disease and has been confined to a motorized wheelchair for the last 10 years. Lisa D’Amico of Montreal was born with cerebral palsy and requires a walker to get around. Both fear they will eventually end up incapacitated and dependent on others.
But while there are some similarities in their physical conditions, their views on Quebec’s euthanasia legislation could not be more different. When the National Assembly adopts Bill 52, “An act respecting end-of-life care” — expected in the next two weeks — Mr. Leblond plans to be in the visitors’ gallery to applaud the historic moment.
I love my job. I love how I get paid to photograph and meet such interesting person. We spent a lot of time chatting about life, death, and what it means to be able to decide how the suffering of a debilitating and incurable illnesses should be handled.
Ghislain Leblond poses in is house in Quebec City Thursday May 29, 2014. A retired civil servant who suffers from a degenerative disease similar to Lou Gehrig’s disease, Ghislain Leblond co-founded the Collectif mourir digne et libre, a group in favour of euthanasia.
Vendredi passé, j’étais en assignation pour l’agence Associated Press et la Humane Society International. Je savais que je devais documenter la saisie d’une usine à chiots, mais comme il s’agissait d’une opération à grande échelle surprise pour les propriétaires, je n’avais pas plus de détail.
Je devais me rendre à un hôtel de Magog. Sur place, deux semi-remorques et un camion cube, la SPA, le MAPAQ, et la Humane Society International. Nous avons eu l’appel, et nous sommes parties en convois pour effectuer la deuxième plus importante saisie de chien dans la province de Québec. Arrivé sur les lieux, la Sureté du Québec était déjà là et avait notifié les propriétaires. La saisie pouvait commencer.
Comme certaines de mes images pourraient être utilisées en cours, ce que je vous montre a dû être approuvé par les autorités. Voici donc une sélection de ce que j’ai vu.
I was recently in Long Island to visit a friend. Of course, I took the train to Manhattan for a day of shooting. Here are some street photos of people in New York.
I visited recently Cades Cove and Elkmont Historic district of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. I was a press trip and could not photographe during the best hours of the day, but I managed to get some interesting photos.
Elkmont Historic district
Part of the « Appalachian Club, » near the former logging town of Elkmont, the Elkmont Historic District is not well known, even by the locals.
A stone bridge is pictured in the Millionaire’s row area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee Thursday March 20, 2014. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain.
Cades Cove
Cades Cove is a broad valley surrounded by mountains. As you drive the 11-mile loop, you can stop and explore various historical buildings: churches, a working grist mill, barns and old cabins inhabited by the settlers before the creation of the park.
Horses are pictured in the Cades Cove area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee
John Oliver Cabin is pictured in the Cades Cove area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee
