Tributes have been paid to 27-year-old photographer Alexander Klimchuk (pictured) who died during fighting in South Ossetia.

Klimchuk, the owner of independent photo agency Caucasus Press Images, was among several journalists caught up in the line of fire during the first days of the conflict.

Among the first to pay tribute was Mark Pinder, a freelance photographer from North Shields, Tyne and Wear who told Amateur Photographer: ?We first met in May 2005 and again in December of that year. He showed me great hospitality by putting me up in his home for five days and looking after me royally.?

Pinder added: ?I repaid the compliment by donating redundant equipment to him and his colleagues, who found it very difficult scraping together the cash to buy camera equipment in what is the going rate for photographers in the Caucasus.?

Written tributes have also appeared on Lightstalkers, a website for photojournalists to which Alexander belonged.

Picture credit: Mark Pinder