2014 Photo Contest, Observed Portraits, 2nd prize

Healing Bobby

Photographer

Peter Agtmael

Magnum Photos

23 March, 2013

Bobby Henline rests in a motel room after performing his comedy routine.

Bobby Henline (42) was the sole survivor when the humvee in which he was traveling was blown up, during his fourth tour to Iraq, on 7 April 2007. Bones in his face fractured, burns covered close to 40 percent of his body, and his left hand later had to be amputated.

During the recovery process, he kept up the spirits of other wounded soldiers by telling jokes, and his therapist encouraged him to take up stand-up comedy. He now makes a living as a comedian, with a routine that focuses on his own injuries.

About the photographer

Peter Agtmael

Peter van Agtmael (b. 1981) graduated from Yale University in 2003 with a degree in history. Following graduation, he spent a year in China on the Charles P. Howland fellowship p...

Technical information

Shutter Speed
1/80
Focal length
35.0 mm
F-Stop
2.2
ISO
2500
Camera
DSC-RX1

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