Revisted: April 7, 2002

Written By Justin Merriman

This photo is from 2002 and was shot while I was working for the Valley News Dispatch. In the photo, Vincent Green, 11, (left), Christian Maroni, 6, (center), and Brandon Bachman, 9, (right) all of Tarentum, play cops and robbers outside of Christian's home in Tarentum. I had been driving around feature hunting for awhile, as we do often in the newspaper business. When I turned a corner in Tarentum I saw these kids playing. I quickly pulled my car over and got out and began shooting. I only got off about a half dozen frames off before the kids noticed me and the moment was lost. When I went back to the newspaper my friend and colleague Jeff Swensen helped me edit through the series of photos. We picked the one we liked best, decided it looked best in black & white and I showed it to the city editor. He quickly told me that because of the content it would never run in the paper. Kids playing with guns isn't something the newspaper wants to condone. I argued that the photo has to run because of its content. I've always felt the photo was innocent in nature but spoke to a larger issue of our times.
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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