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Edith Willingham, center, is surrounded by family and friends outside the home she shared with her husband, deceased miner Bennie Willingham in Corinne West Virginia Tuesday April 7, 2010. An explosion in the Upper Big Branch mine, a Performance Coal operated and Massey owned mine, claimed the life of Mr. Willingham and at least 24 other miners. Bennie Willingham, 62, had been a coal miner for 30 years, and was only 5 weeks from retirement. CREDIT: Victor J. Blue for the Wall Street Journal

Went to West Virginia last month to cover the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster for the Wall Street Journal. Long days, chasing the news. It was a mess, hard to work- when the satellite trucks are lining all the roads, you know the whole thing has become a different beast, and it’s hard to make the kind of sensitive, thoughtful pictures a story like that deserves. It was tense, the whole media circus packed into a little elementary school that was on spring break, journalists hovered over laptops trying to balance in chairs made for 5 year olds, waiting for word of the next press conference. It took a few days for the residents of Whitesville, Montcoal, Naoma, and the other small towns in the area that had lost their miners to get used to so many cameras, lights and fake hugs from TV personalities. Frustrating. But it ended up good, the third day I got to take off and work on a story with intrepid Journal reporter Doug Belkin on the family of Bennie Willingham, who was killed in the explosion. We drove an hour and a half away from Montcoal to Corinne where we found the whole family at the house, visiting, bringing food, and pouring over a lifetime of family photos for the upcoming funeral. We talked, we told them that we wanted to tell the story of Bennie, his family, and their loss, and they opened their home to us. Shared their memories and their pain with us. We left as the night settled over the hills, and they went back to missing Bennie. The story that ran on the weekend paired two families, one in China and the Willingham’s in WVA, that had both lost members to mining disasters. It was a great concept, and I was glad I got to work on it. Here are some more of the pictures.

A mine rescue team stages at the entrance to the Upper Big Branch mine near Whitesville WV, Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Michelle Averson, left, and Judy Walker, right, sit inside the New Life Assembly Church and wait for word on the remaining miners trapped in the Upper Big Branch Mine.

Parishioners at the New Life Assembly Church wait for word on the trapped miners.

A portion of the Upper Branch Mine in Montcoal WV is shrouded in fog in the early morning, Tuesday, April 6, 2010.

Family and friends gather to grieve at the home of deceased miner Bennie Willingham, two days after he was killed in a coal mine blast, in Corinne West Virginia Wednesday April 7, 2010.

Edith Willingham, wife of deceased miner Bennie Willingham, is consoled by family and friends.

The boots worn by coal miner Bennie Willingham when he died.