"I knew I must record it for the world to see" - Photographs

         There were many photographs taken in the immediate aftermath of Dr. King's death. The scene itself was covered by two reporters from Life Magazine, who arrive that evening. Photographer Henry Groskinsky and writer Mike Silva, drove nearly 200 miles to the Lorraine Motel. Many of the shots that Groskinsky took that evening were only published very recently.  They can be seen here.

       

         However, the most famous photograph from the event was the one above, taken by a South African journalist and television producer, for the Public Broadcasting Laboratory. Joseph Louw was staying at the Lorraine Motel, a few doors down from Dr. King's room. He had been working on a documentary about Dr. King and familiarizing himself with the city. He had been eating dinner in a restaurant when, "for some weird reason, I decided to go and watch the Huntley-Brinkley show," he told Life Magazine, who published the photos. He had just turned off the TV when the first shots rang out. He ran out onto the balcony, and saw the heart-wrenching sight, he froze. Then, realizing what he was seeing, he ran back in and grabbed his camera.
         "I knew I must record it for the world to see," Louw said.
         Taking the photo was one thing. Getting the roll of film developed and into the hands of someone who could publish it was quite another. Louw was concerned about getting his take out of Memphis, which had been on the brink before, but at word of Dr. King's death, broke out into riots. He asked Memphis photographer Ernest C. Withers, considered one of the great Civil Rights photographers, to use his darkroom. Louw managed to escape with his pictures and caught a red-eye plane to Newark.  
         As can be seen by Louw's contact sheet, he had been documenting Dr. King quite closely (the source of these is here:

 

  
Hunt, George. "Editors Note: I Knew I Must Record It For The World." Life 19 Apr. 1968: 3. Google Books. Web. 25 Feb. 2013.

 "Joseph Louw | Iconic Photos." Iconic Photos | Famous, Infamous and Iconic Photos. N.p., 7 Apr. 2012. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. <http://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/tag/joseph-louw/>.

 "The Lorraine Motel, Memphis, April 4, 1968 | The Day MLK Died: Rare Pictures From the Lorraine Motel, Memphis, April 4, 1968 | LIFE.com." LIFE Photos | Classic Pictures From LIFE Magazine's Archives | LIFE.com. Time/LIFE , n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2013. <http://life.time.com/history/life-exclusive-the-day-mlk-died/#1>.