Daniel Morel was born in Haiti in 1951. The day he discovered photography wasn't the happiest of days, but it set the stage for the rest of his life. It was November 12, 1964, in Port-au Prince. The Haitian government canceled school and people were bussed in from miles around to watch the execution of Louis Drouin and Marcel Numa. The two young men were the last two survivors of a 13-member group that called themselves ‘Jeune Haiti' (Young Haiti). The group had planned to overthrow the regime of Francois ‘Papa Doc' Duvalier. The next day, a photographer who had shot the rebels' deaths frame by frame posted them in the front of his studio. It was a gruesome sight for the young Morel, but it made him realize that he wanted to take pictures too. For over 20 years, Morel has documented his native country, capturing culture, history and people - covering coups d'état, numerous presidents, ceremonies and pilgrimages, demonstrations and massacres, hurricanes or harvests. His photographs have appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal and throughout the world. He was the resident photographer for the Associated Press for 14 years until 2004, and has received a Citation for Excellence from the Overseas Press Club of America, the AP Award of Excellence and the Sam Chavkin Prize for Integrity in Latin American Journalism. Morel has received grants from the Soros / Open Society Foundation Documentary Photo Project to host a series of photo exhibitions in Haiti and New York, aimed at enabling Haitian Americans and Haitians in Haiti to address their past and collaborate toward a positive future. As a producer, his film projects include Unfinished Country about the Haiti elections, and When the Drum is Beating, a feature-length documentary about the revered Haitian big band, Septentriona.
