--- description: Revolutions, a book featuring the work of war photographer Rémi Ochlik, who was killed this spring in Syria, has just been published by Emphas.is. LightBox presents images from the book taken during conflicts in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Syria. title: Rémi Ochlik's Revolutions image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb56220d930a27208/69879ff035ba6f67d8c0922d/0012.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/) ## LightBox Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Rémi Ochlik's Revolutions by [Vaughn Wallace](/author/vaughn-wallace/) ## Vaughn Wallace Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 5, 2012 8:00 AM CUT  April 1, 2011\. Between Ajdabiya and Brega, Libya. April 1, 2011\. Between Ajdabiya and Brega, Libya.Rémi Ochlik—IP3 by [Vaughn Wallace](/author/vaughn-wallace/) ## Vaughn Wallace Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 5, 2012 8:00 AM CUT _“War is worse than drugs. One moment it’s a bad trip, a nightmare. But the next moment, as soon as the immediate danger has passed, there is an overpowering desire to go back for more. To risk one’s life in order to get more pictures in return for not very much. It is an incomprehensible force that pushes us to keep going back in.”_ **–** **_Rémi Ochlik, 2004_** This spring, after French war photographer Rémi Ochlik was killed during fighting in Homs, Syria, a group of close friends and colleagues felt their obligations to the photographer weren’t complete. Meeting aboard a TGV train on their way to Paris from the World Press awards ceremony in Amsterdam in late April, the group took stock of everything that had happened since Rémi’s death. His photographs had spoken for themselves when exhibited in tribute in Amsterdam. The large circle of friends gathered in his name was a testament to his character; he was always the guy who would make friends sharing a cigarette. But one duty remained unfinished—not a tribute, nor a memorial, but a commitment to continue what was and what should have been in Rémi’s life. Now, five months later, _Revolutions_ is finished**–**a book of 144 pages, across which Rémi’s photographs of the Arab Spring spread forth. The tome depicts hope, anger, celebration and fear—some of humanity’s most powerful emotions recorded in photographs—and feelings the photographer undoubtedly felt during a career cut short by the harsh realities often facing those documenting armed conflict. Scattered through this visual record of Rémi’s witness are the words of friends, which encompass close confidants, long-time coworkers and fellow photographers. Their testimonies are short, speaking to the memories of a man killed at a time and place in the world many photographers hesitated to cover. Ochlik began his photography of the Arab Spring in Tunisia—and so the book does the same. “It is impressive to see the ease with which he moves through the street as the rocks fly everywhere,” writes Julien De Rosa of his shared time with Rémi outside Tahrir Square in Cairo. “This is clearly his natural environment.” Rémi, considered by colleagues an old-school photographer despite his youngage (29), moved with confidence and resolve through the borders of conflict in the Middle East. This is what makes his death that much more painful, for at his age and with his skill, his potential had seemed limitless. “Be safe, okay?” were the last words that Gert Van Langendonck told Rémi before his final trip to the besieged city of Homs. “You’ve already won your World Press Photo.” And indeed Rémi’s work was deserving of high honor—his story from Libya earned him first prize in the 2012 World Press Photo competition’s General News category. His photographic eye was strong—strengthening, even—as he entered Syria. A vision deserving of high honor, cut short by a barrage of shelling that also killed American correspondent Marie Colvin. Rémi was often aware that he didn’t have a personal project in the works, Van Langendonck told TIME. Personal projects provide an outlet for photographers to explore their interests outside of commissioned editorial work, allowing for an inner-consistency even as a photographer’s surroundings are rapidly changing. So caught up in his work, Remi didn’t need it — “I’ve never had so many of my pictures published in my life,” he told Van Langendonck. After paying the ultimate price for his work, Rémi’s personal project became clear. Although the future promise of the French photographer will never be fully realized, the publishing of _Revolutions_ has brought a modicum of closure. Revolutions _is now_ [_available through Emphas.is_](http://www.emphas.is/web/guest/bookproject?projectID=695 "undefined")_. The book project, funded by contributors, raised $24,250 as of Sept. 4, exceeding its original fundraising target of $15,000 by almost 40%._  April 1, 2011\. Between Ajdabiya and Brega, Libya. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  Jan. 14, 2011\. Tunisian demonstrators hide from the police and try to take refuge from tear gas in Tunis. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  Feb. 3, 2011\. Young anti-Mubarak Egyptians throw stones in Tahrir Square in Cairo. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  Jan. 14, 2011\. A young Tunisian protestor cries in front of the interior ministry in Tunis because secret police tortured and killed his brother five years ago. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  Feb. 2, 2011\. Protesters throw rocks, molotov cocktails and petrol bombs in Cairo. Chaos consumed Tahrir Square as supporters of Hosni Mubarak clashed with opposition protesters. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  Feb. 5, 2011\. Anti-Mubarak Egyptians pray behind a tank in Cairo. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  March 3, 2011\. Desperate refugees continued to flow to Libya's border with Tunisia, where thousands anxiously waited to be taken home and aid workers warned of a humanitarian disaster. Ras Jedir, Tunisia. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  March 11, 2011\. An opposition fighter rests under a rebel flag in the middle of the battlefield in Ras Lanuf, Libya. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  March 25, 2011\. Libyan opposition fighters hold their position outside Adjabyia. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  March 20, 2011\. A funeral in a cemetery in Benghazi, Libya. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  March 26, 2011\. A Libyan man walks among the remains of a truck full of ammunition in Ajdabiya, Libya. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  March 11, 2011\. An opposition fighter with an ammunition belt in Ras Lanuf, Libya. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  Aug. 25, 2011\. Rebel fighters in the Abu Slim neighborhood of Tripoli. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  Aug. 25, 2011\. Rebels fighters in Tripoli fight the last resistance of the fighters loyal to Muammar Gaddafi. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  Aug. 23, 2011\. The last assault against Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  Oct. 26, 2011\. A mass grave along the beach in Misrata, Libya. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  Oct. 21, 2011\. The body of ousted Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi lies on a mattress in the cold storage room of a vegetable market near a mosque in the outskirts of Misrata, Libya. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  Nov. 22, 2011\. Egyptians frustrated by army rule battle police in Cairo streets as the military struggled to cope with the challenge to its authority that has jolted plans for the country's first free election in decades. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  Nov. 22, 2011\. Egyptians frustrated by army rule battle police in Cairo. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  Nov. 27, 2011\. Protesters shout slogans during a demonstration against the Egyptian military council in Cairo. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  February 22, 2012\. Free Syrian Army fighters pray before trying to enter Baba Amr in Syria. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  February 22, 2012\. At 3AM, people in the village of Bouyada attend the funeral of four young men who were crushed in their home after a shelling by Assad forces. Most of the time, funerals take place during the middle of the night to avoid attacks by the army. Rémi Ochlik—IP3  February 22, 2012\. A Free Syrian Army soldier patrols a destroyed street of Baba Amr, Homs, Syria. 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