Yesterday afternoon, Chris and photojournalist Tim Hetherington, were killed by injuries sustained from a rocket propelled grenade in Misurata, Libya, while covering the plight of the rebel forces there. 

I was both honoured and grateful to have had the opportunity to add Chris to our staff when I was with Getty Images, in May of 2002. Over the years, Chris had a number of close calls. He made countless trips to Iraq, starting with the U.S. invasion in 2003. His travels took him to Monrovia, Nigeria, Georgia to Afghanistan and beyond. This is where Chris excelled and where he was in his element. His work has won many awards, to include The Robert Capa Award from the Overseas Press Club, a First in World Press Photo, Pictures of the Year International, NPPA's Best in Photojournalism and he was runner up for a Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography and many other prestigious industry recognition's.

Chris will be dearly missed by all who knew him, as well as all that knew his work, which graced the pages of every major newspaper and news magazine the world over. I will miss Chris as a friend, the gentleman and profound photojournalist that he was. Please take a look at a mere sampling of his work in a gallery we've created in his memory.

In Memoriam - Chris Hondros

The most recent examples of this have been from the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. What words could possibly describe what the pictures and video footage have shown us from this catastrophic disaster? Powerful and timely images and footage from this event have populated the front pages of newspapers, magazines, websites and broadcast networks the world over, starting from the moment the story broke. The Straits Times is no exception, the paper has showcased the best images available from the earthquake and Tsunami on its front page and prime section, for the duration of the story.

You can add to this story, the images coming out of Libya, the Ivory Coast and recent unrest in Egypt. Pictures, both still and moving, say it all. They take us visually inside a story, showing us things and bringing us an emotional connection with events, that words could simply never describe. Like on all major news stories, The Straits Times will continue to provide readers with the very best pictures available.

A case in point. My in-laws were recently in town and to no surprise, we found ourselves at the Night Safari. One of the attractions was a performance by the nocturnal creatures; animals that use the cover of darkness to hunt and explore their surroundings. "Please, no flash photography," cautioned the announcer. The sudden and bright flashes of light frighten and disorient the animals.

Out comes the first animal, walking slowly across a rope line above the audience.

Without delay, the sky was brightened by a legion of flashes, from all sections of the audience.

Were these people deliberately trying to frighten the animal or spoil the show? I don't think so. What this really told me, was they simply didn't know how to disable the flash, or in essence, how their camera works.

To prove my point, I went through the newsroom, randomly asking reporters and editors if they owned a camera. Of the 30 who responded "Yes", I asked if they had read the instructions. Only 6 said they had read some, or all of the instructions, the rest shyly admitted that they had not.

Moral of the story? To get the most out of your camera, from its simple operation to its special features, simply read the instructions that came with the camera.

Our world has become proliferated with a renewed sense and awareness of photography, in some form or another.

It's rare to find a mobile phone that doesn't have a built in camera and the constant parade of new "point and shoot" cameras hitting the market seems never ending.

This doesn't include the dedicated photo enthusiasts who can be seen adorned with the latest and greatest camera gear money can buy. From kite festivals to the National Day Parade, anywhere you go, you'll find people snapping pictures with some type of camera.

With the rapid growth and popularity of social media, pictures are everywhere and in numbers we're never seen before. From our own SPH portal Stomp, to Flickr, Facebook and Twitter, everyone's taking and posting pictures.

It actually turns out that the most popular camera for people posting on Flickr is the iPhone. Check out the link here. 

So, what does all of this mean? You too are likely one of many who have joined the photography craze, believe it or not.

Suffice it to say, the ease and capabilities of digital photography has changed the way photography touches our lives forever.

This site within ST.com will  showcase the most compelling work produced by the Straits Times photojournalists, as well as the very best pictures of the day taken by photographers from around the globe. This will include photo essays, stand-alone pictures and multimedia presentations. There is also platform to showcase readers pictures and a forum to communicate with our photojournalists. We will be posting regular blog entries from our staff and you can follow us on Twitter. Watch for our occasional equipment reviews and discussions on some of the latest techniques and trends in our industry, as well as our readers contests.

Please join us on our journey through the lens and bookmark this page to stay updated on the best pictures from The Straits Times shooters and from around the world.