Joshua Touster
A photo from Joshua Tousters book, “Aftermath,” showing members of the Watertown Police Department holding the T-shirt the planned to give to Vice President Joe Biden at the memorial for MIT Police Officer Sean Collier.
Watertown photographer Joshua Touster’s has shot a wide variety of subjects, but his latest project literally came to his doorstep on April 19, 2013 when he found his hometown was the center of a manhunt for the terrorist who bombed the Boston Marathon.
The book, “Aftermath: The Boston Marathon Bombings” features scenes from Watertown during the lockdown, photos from the scene of the shootout, commemorations and memorials, the 2014 and 2015 Marathons and the 2013 Red Sox World Series Championship Parade.
Touster, who has an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, has shot all kinds of events and people. He spent seven weeks on tour with Michael Jackson, captured seasons of the New England Patriots, L.A. Lakers and Boston Red Sox, and documented the Occupy movement and the world of horse racing at Suffolk Downs and Saratoga Race Track.
“I don’t just sit in a chair thinking of projects. They come to me,” said Touster. “The War on Terror rang my front door bell.”
Touster has shot the finish line of the Boston Marathon many times, but he happened to be out of town in 2013. After the bombing he had 45 messages from family and friends who thought he might be at the race making sure he was OK.
Joshua Tousters
A woman dismantles the Boston Marathon Bombing memorial in Boston’s Copley Square.
On April 18, he captured the memorials left by Bostonians around the area of the bombings.
“I planned to go back on the 19th. Then I got a call from a friend saying ‘What the hell is going on in Watertown? Turn on the TV,” Touster said.
With law enforcement swarming the streets of the town he has called home since 1988, Touster found the story had come to him. He said he had the choice of shooting the event like the many photojournalists out there, or do something different.
“I have a unique perspective, living in Watertown,” said Touster, who decided to shoot what he saw from his home.
He snapped pictures of helicopters, law enforcement patrolling the streets, the emptiness during the lockdown and late in the day he got the shot he was hoping for.
“At 5 p.m., a SWAT team came to my door,” said Touster.
Joshua Touster
A SWAT team showed up at the door of photographer Joshua Touster who included the photo capturing the aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombings.
A short time later, he heard that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had been captured, so he raced down to Mt. Auburn Street and captured the residents celebrating and thanking the many police and law enforcement who aided the capture.
Originally, Touster planned to wrap up his project in one year.
“I thought after one year I would wrap up, and it would prove we had withstood the assault and we weren’t going to let terrorists dictate how we live,” Touster said.
Then he began following the trial of bombing suspect, and shot the scene surrounding the Boston Federal Court House.
“I couldn’t get in the courtroom – no cameras were allowed, but I spent a huge amount of time outside the courthouse,” he said.
Joshua Touster
The cover of “Aftermath” by Watertown photographer Joshua Touster. He hopes to get copies in libraries and schools around Massachusetts.
Touster is self-publishing the book, but he has another goal. He started an Indieagogo funding effort to help him achieve his goal of providing a copy of the book to every public library, high school and middle school in Massachusetts, He also plans to give copies to the survivors and some of the first responders.
“It is important for people not to forget and for generations to come to know what happened,” Touster said.
He has a goal of raising $55,000, and those wishing to contribute can go to www.igg.me/at/bostonmarathonaftermath
To get a copy of “Aftermath,” order online at www.bostonmarathonaftermath.com. Books are available in 10 inch x 13 inch or 8.5 inch x 11 inch formats, and the smaller size can be ordered in hard- or softcover. Prints of Tousters photographs can also be purchased.
awesome photo of Watertown’s finest ,Watertown Strong Watertown Proud