A very personal and beautiful tribute to a friend, a colleague and a great human. The late Yiannis Behrakis' fellow war photographer Dusan Vranic writes a moving memory of their friendship here.
“Yannis had a very strong sense of justice, of right and wrong, and an insatiable compulsion to point out the wrong. He didn’t have to go anywhere and he didn't need a camera for this.
He once took me to Evia in Greece to show me some land he has there. On the way back on the ferry – it was winter and we were sitting inside – there were about four guys sitting and smoking underneath a big “no smoking” sign. I saw his face slowly changing color and thought to myself “OK, here we go again…” He looked at me and asked “Are you with me brother?” I said yes, not because I was keen on a confrontation with four guys, but because Yannis didn’t like no for an answer. I braced for impact. Yannis walked over and gave the gentlemen the full brunt of his unvarnished opinion. They were shocked, and immediately put out their cigarettes. The captain of the ferry offered him a job on the spot, telling us he needed such people on his ship.
Yannis was also this massive-hearted, empathic person. It is rare to meet someone as compassionate and aware of the issues plaguing humanity.”
