2007-Year in Review

Written By Justin Merriman
As 2007 draws to an end, I sat down to reflect on many of the images I made throughout the year. I've been fortunate to meet so many wonderful people and I'm thankful to all of them for sharing their stories with me. The images below are my favorite 15 photos from 2007. Each has its own story, like the oldest living bartender to a exiled Chinese poet, some are stories of tragedy like the death of Sgt. Patrick Kutschbach, Sgt. Thomas Vandling, or 27-year-old firefighter Jeremy LaBella. Some of these images are intimate moments of fear and hurt like a young child who's bus wrecked or two young boys struggling with the murder of their aunt, then there is Tiger and the U.S. Open, a presidential candidate, a beautiful Nicaraguan dance, a memorial for a great disaster, the joy of a summer day, the end of a hostage standoff, a Hollywood producer, and lastly who can forget the 25th anniversary of :-) It's been a great year and I look forward to the stories of 2008. Feel free to let me know what you think of these images.
Justin Merriman

Justin Merriman is a freelance photojournalist, commercial photographer, licensed drone pilot, and filmmaker based in Pittsburgh. His career began in Southwestern Pennsylvania, where he worked as a newspaper photographer dedicated to community storytelling and politics. Since then, his work has been recognized with regional, national, and international awards and has appeared in publications around the world.

After covering the crash of United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001, Merriman committed to documenting the U.S. military’s War on Terror, reporting from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and across the United States. His international assignments have also included life in Fidel Castro’s Cuba, India’s campaign to eradicate polio, the aftermath of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Cuba in 2012, the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis in Rome, the second anniversary of Egypt’s revolution, Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea, and the uncertain future of Guantanamo Bay in 2015. That same year, he traveled the full U.S.–Mexico border to document immigration issues.

In addition to photography, Merriman works as a director and filmmaker, creating recent films on refugees in Turkey, Jordan, India, and South Africa.

Closer to home, he frequently covers stories across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, focusing on the intersections of economic, environmental, and political life. Most recently, he reported on the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and its impact on the community.

Born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Merriman graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg with a B.A. in English Writing. In 2009, the university awarded him its prestigious Alumnus of Distinction award. He is a founding member of Argo Collective, a group of photographers sharing diverse visions of America. He lives outside Pittsburgh with his wife, Stephanie Strasburg, a photojournalist with PublicSource.

http://www.justinmerriman.com
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