An Independent Photojournalist's Gulf Oil Spill Story

Zoriah is an independent photojournalist who covers humanitarian stories without editorial constraints. He attempts to bring the untold story out into the open and his most recent work has centred around the Gulf oil spill. One interesting angle on the story is the abandoned pets by people who can no longer afford the upkeep of their animals. The US Coast Guard gave him full access to affected areas. His blog post to accompany the pictures concludes with a poignant thought:

So, like most of the people involved in this spill, I came away from it not really knowing what I learned from it. Yes, I did see horrible things. I saw massive amounts of oil in all kinds of strange forms in all kind of different places where it did not belong. I saw oiled birds and fish, dead birds and fish and dying marshlands. I saw beaches with oily shores and oil in the water as dolphins swam through, seemingly unaware. I saw animal shelters overflowing with dogs and cats whose owners could not afford to keep them, bird rehabilitation shelters with workers diligently cleaning animals and fishermen with unknown fates. There are all kinds of effects from this spill that can be seen right now, but to me, and most others involved in its cleanup, the scariest aspect is the future and all of the unknowns.

Zoriah - Photojournalist


A display in the yard of a local household in Grand Isle shows crosses with the names of all of the things locals feel that they have lost in the wake of the BP Oil spill.
© zoriah/www.zoriah.com



A severely malnourished dog searches for food in the sand at a local animal shelter in St. Bernard's Perish. Animal shelters have been overflowing with animals since the gulf coast oil spill, as many fisherman and their families feel they can no longer care for them.
© zoriah/www.zoriah.com



A sign outside of Grand Isle uses the popular, underwater cartoon Sponge Bob Square Pants to poke at BP in the wake of the oil spill.
© zoriah/www.zoriah.com



A resident of Grand Isle carries a bag of donated pet food. Residents can show various documents that prove their reliance on the fishing industry for income in order to get pet food and supplies donated by local and national charities.
© zoriah/www.zoriah.com



© zoriah/www.zoriah.com



Pelicans coated in oil and wait to be cleaned at an oiled bird rehabilitation center set up after the BP disaster.
© zoriah/www.zoriah.com

Now THAT is powerful. What a great artist/blogger.

In terms of the bigger picture, all I can say is "oh my god that breaks my hot damn heart"

S&F for bringing it to the attention of ATS.

reply to post by dragonsmusic


I have always found Zoriah's work honest and full of emotion - whether covering war or natural disasters. He doesn't go by the normal conventions of photojournalism and this story is a great example of his work.

He has a second oil spill story coming in the next few weeks and I will be sure to post at ATS.

Phillipe Custeau tried to film in June and was turned away by the CG. In retrospect it was to dangerous to enter the water and will be for quite a long time.
But these pictures are a land view of the devastation not seen on CNN.