Lucas Dolega’s funeral was held last Thursday in Paris’ Père Lachaise cemetery.

Among the anonymous crowd that came out to honor his memory were fifty photographers both freelance and from international press agencies.

Michel Puech commented “The photographers, war reporters, were squeezed together, tight faced and sympathetic. The crowd was in their thirties. It is a new generation of photojournalists. In their mourning, they were heartbroken, but pragmatic. Their eyes often focused on their smartphones. Tonight, tomorrow, they will be traveling to Egypt, Haiti, or who the devil else knows where to testify to humanities monstrosities.

They leave, often at their own cost, often earning miserable pay. They risk their lives, to protect ours. The public must understand that. Media directors must stop treating them like unemployed mercenaries.”

Michel Puech