  Dec. 13: Week in Photography   Your lens to the internet's most powerful photographs.   📸For Your đź‘€ Only: A Look At The COVID Frontline Go Nakamura, a Houston-based photojournalist, has been one of the few photographers covering the medical frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nakamura, who relocated to Texas just over a year ago, has visited the United Memorial Medical Center over 20 times since May, documenting the caregiving in the COVID ward in a searing series of images.  What is the hospital like? I actually have no idea [of] anything besides the COVID world, because I haven’t done any other work in the hospital. In the COVID unit, they usually have 20 beds. The first time I visited, the beds were almost full, and then as I went back over the summer, they expanded the ward so that by now, it's about 30 beds. Â
 Go Nakamura / Getty Images How do you deal with seeing so much sadness and death as a photographer? When I am in the COVID ward, adrenaline is pumping, and I can hold it together and focus on shooting. When I get out of the hospital and look at the pictures on the computer screen, that's when it hits me so hard.  I have access to trauma resources through Getty, and the doctors and nurses themselves have been so helpful. The very first time I went into the nurses station at the hospital, Dr. [Joseph] Varon came to the door and invited me in, and started to introduce me. The medical staff were talking and laughing with each other, and I thought this is a very good environment, a fun workplace, and five minutes later, the doctor turned to me, looked directly into my eyes with a very serious face, and said we try to laugh off everything, because otherwise you would go crazy  Can you talk about the viral hugging picture? The patient, who really wanted to go home and see his family, misunderstood me as a medical worker, because I was covered in PPE. He seemed vulnerable and was clearly lonely. I called other medical staff to help him, and after that the doctor came in. This patient was recovering — most patients, they can’t move from the bed, but he could stand and walk around the room by himself, but still wasn’t approved to go home. Fortunately the patient went home, about a week ago, I guess.  When I saw the doctor's eyes in the photo, I could imagine, of course he wants to do anything he can to help the patients. He is always trying to give the patients cheerful words. When I shared the hugging photo on my Instagram, I saw so many comments — I was very glad that the photo went viral, because people were talking about the situation, and what they can do.  Go Nakamura / Getty Images How did you get started in photography? I started as a wedding photographer when I was 28. Before that, I didn't know anything about photography. I was an office worker, and I was just working like a robot. One day one of my friends, who was a very good wedding photographer, said why don’t you try working with me — it's fun, and every day, every client is different. After a few years, I decided I am not really into wedding photography, I wanted to do something else with these skills. I moved to New York to look for some opportunities and visited this exhibition about Robert Frank, The Americans, the photo book. When I was there, I felt like lightning struck me or something, I thought to myself, this is what I want to do, this is what I want to follow.  Back then I didn't know any editors, or anyone in the journalism field, I just started to go out in the city to take pictures. After four years I still didn't know anyone, but one of my friends introduced me to this photographer, John Roca, who was a news photographer who had been working for the NY Daily News for over 40 years. I asked if I could come with him as he was working — I did that for about 10 months, and one day he told me, "I think you’re ready, so I’m going to start introducing you to editors." So that’s how I got started in the photojournalism field, that was five years ago.  Go Nakamura / Getty Images Any final thoughts? I’m a photojournalist, and I am doing this job because I want the people to know what is really going on inside the hospitals. It is very rough inside. I am not a medical specialist, so I am not used to seeing the harsh stuff. Sometimes I want to cover my eyes, but I have to take the photo, and I want the people to know how others are struggling — of course the patients but also the medical workers. They are exhausted. Exhausted. I think that Dr. Varon has been working for more than 260 days straight, and the nurses since the beginning of summer with no days off. They have been working so hard. If I can get the pictures out there, and I appreciate that many people can see these, I want to let them know what is happening inside, and what they can do to improve the situation. I want viewers to think about that.   📸THE WEEK'S PHOTO STORIES FROM BUZZFEED NEWS 📸 This week, we tried to look on the bright side, and talked with some photographers who are making the best of it — and largely succeeding. And, as always, here are some of the best photo stories from around the internet that caught our eye and kept us thinking. THE PHOTOGRAPHER QUARANTINING WITH HIS EX-WIFE AND MOTHER  Neil Kramer  A ROUNDUP OF PRINT SALES TO SUPPORT — AND WHY ITS IMPORTANT  Gabriela Hasbun  📸SOME HOPE 📸  Jacob King/Pool via AP 90-year-old Margaret Keenan is the first patient in the U.K. to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at University Hospital, Coventry, England. "That's it from us this time — see you next week!" —Kate and Pia “We are making photographs to understand what our lives mean to us.” — Ralph Hattersley Â
📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by the News Photo team. Kate Bubacz is the photo director based in New York and loves dogs. You can always reach us here.  BuzzFeed, Inc. |
