Michael Christopher Brown, a photojournalist with Magnum Photos, was in a rut, both personally and professionally. After spending a year on a failed photography project in China, Brown knew he needed a change. While in Beijing, he caught CNN’s coverage of the Libyan revolution and saw the opportunity for growth he was looking for. Caught up in the revolutionary spirit, Brown made a decision that would ultimately change the direction of his life; he left for Libya.

A year later, Brown was recovering from a near fatal injury, and the wounds of a loss that shook the photography community to its core.