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On August 28th, 2005 Chris Usher set out from Washington, DC to cover Hurricane Katrina for TIME Magazine. What he thought would be a three or four day assignment turned into a three-week experience that affected him profoundly. Chris was surrounded by immense destruction that alternated with vast nothingness where something used to be. The smell of death and decay day after day overwhelmed him.

Chris knew this was a story that needed to be documented, not just covered. And so, One of Us was born. Published with the help of Eastman Kodak Company in partnership with ColorCentric, One of Us tells the three-year Post-Katrina story. The book is available online for $40.00 US. Through the support of Kodak, Usher will donate 100 percent of the profits from One of Us to the Gulf Coast Fund and the Southern Animal Foundation, relief organizations that continue to provide post-Katrina aid and assistance in the Gulf Coast.

As Chris photographed the survivors of the storm during those first few days, they told him their stories, not because he asked, but because they needed to. Chris was so moved that he turned on an audio recorder and got in close with his camera. As they spoke, they re-lived their experiences and it was palpably visible in each photo Chris shot.