One of my favorite shots this month was one from the aftermath of the Cumbria shootings where Derrik Bird went on the rampage killing a dozen people plus himself.

I was despatched up to Cumbria one otherwise quite Wednesday afternoon while Bird was still on the loose. During my 5 hour drive he was found dead so the job immediately became one of 'mopping up'. Tributes to and pictures of the victims, plus background on Bird himself. The epicentre of the carnage was the town of Whitehaven so that is where I , and most of the country's other media headed first. The taxi rank where it all began was to become the focal point for the piles of tributes and inevitably, for the media.

That was where I took this picture, probably my favorite from the few days I spent up there. Taken late on my last full day there, several days after the shootings took place. I was one of the last journalists hanging around Whitehaven and was comtemplating going to get sme tea when these two walked up to look at the piles of floral tributes.

I have no idea who they are, they could be friends or relatives of the victims or just passers by who wanted to pay their respects but I don't think it watters, it gives the impression of a community in shock and mourning.

Originally I shot this frame much wider to include more of the flowers but I have cropped into it for this picture to cut out a lot of extraneous clutter and make the picture simpler.