The press uses a narrative to describe conflicts, wars and tragedies, so we are used to see pictures constrained in the story that is being told. But sometimes, a photographer might capture an image when people are not behaving as the characters were supposed to do and defy their roles as victims. These pictures might be taken intentionally or accidentally. But when such images are made public they always cause controversy.

In 2007, the American journalist Spencer Platt won the World Press Photo Awards with a picture of affluent Lebanese kids driving down the street to look at a neighbourhood destroyed by the war in Beirut. He observes: "The picture challenges our notion of what a victim is meant to look like. These people are not victims, they look strong, they're full of youth. Only in Lebanon can you find a Mini Cooper against a backdrop of bombed out buildings. Lebanese people are very hard to classify. There were many other pictures of the war, but this one started a conversation."

A photo captured by Thomas Hoepker on Sept. 11, 2001, was published only five years later. It shows people hanging out by the Brooklyn waterfront, while the smoke from the fallen towers rises in the background. The photojournalist describes: “It asked questions but provided no answers. How could disaster descend on such a beautiful day? How could this group of cool-looking young people sit there so relaxed and seemingly untouched by the mother of all catastrophes which unfolded in the background? Was this the callousness of a generation, which had seen too much CNN and too many horror movies? Or was it just the devious lie of a snapshot, which ignored the seconds before and after I had clicked the shutter?” One of the people portrayed in the picture responded: "A snapshot can make mourners attending a funeral look like they're having a party."

The photographer Tanya Habjouqa has a series of pictures entitled “Occupied Pleasures,” showing the life that doesn’t often make it in news reports about the Palestinian-Israel conflict. In the picture above, we can observe young palestinians having fun, doing parkour. She says: “I wanted people to look and see the people who’ve been reduced to a complete stereotype. I wanted people to look and laugh and think."

Aram Pan, a Singapore based photographer, has the project to show images of North Korea, trying to "demystify" the country, always portrayed in military paredes. The picture above captures the Pyongyang Fashion Exhibition, held in September, where models could be seen walking down catwalks and showcasing the latest trends. “Women’s fashion seems to be evolving - and it isn’t isolated just to Pyongyang. Based on the reports I’ve read over the years about laws banning women from wearing trousers or restrictions on bright colors, this fashion show came as an absolute surprise. But even on the streets, I've noticed that women were getting bolder and more fancy in the way they dress."