16 Photographs

I have picked out 16 photographs which still make me ponder now on the cruelty, beauty and horror of us and our Planet.

Tankman        1989

To stand in front of a tank is one thing, but to do it in Deng Xiaoping's Communist China is an act of outstanding bravery but this is the image that went around the World during the Tiannaman Square Student protests calling for democracy, free speech and an end to corruption.
The Chinese government used crushing military force to clear the square, resulting in thousands of deaths but an unidentified protestor, known globally as 'Tank Man,' briefly blocked a column of tanks leaving the square, becoming a worldwide symbol of peaceful and non-violent resistance.
While holding two shopping bags, he blocked a column of tanks and when they tried to steer around him, he repeatedly stepped back into its path to block it.
The oppressive Chinese regime never followed the wave of other awful regimes that were folding at that time in the late 80s but this is a powerful image of one person trying to make a difference against impossible odds.