James Nachtwey

Among the most affecting and iconic works of photojournalism are those that capture the human experience at its extremities: war, famine, disease, torture, genocide. The best of these photographs reflect back to us our starkest human material, and bring into focus both the benefits and the costs of political events and policies. They give "a voice to those who would not otherwise have a voice [and] put a human face on issues which from afar can appear abstract or ideological."

For various reasons, not many photographers operate in this space. One who does is James Nachtwey; he has produced an enviable body of work from our war zones and brought to light vital stories from around the world. He wanted above all to be a war photographer, "driven by an inherent sense that a picture that revealed the true face of war would, almost by definition, be an antiwar photograph." Photography like his is much more than being at the right place at the right time -- it requires a certain eye, a special way of looking at the world, which can recognize and distill a significant human experience into an image. Above all, it is a work of demanding intellect, honesty, and empathy.

Visit James Nachtwey's website, read his bio, and hear his inspiring speech at the recent TED awards acceptance ceremony for 2007 (also explore other TED talks by some pretty smart people). I've chosen here a few of my favorite images from his website.

Comments

[Ruchira Paul]

Bearing witness - Nachtwey does it well.

It's really remarkable how evocative B&W photography still is even after we have become so used to color. Have you ever seen this book of photographs? My parents had a copy when my sister and I were young. The two of us spent hours thumbing through its pages and making up stories about faraway places by looking at a single photograph. By the time we were adults, the book was in tatters. About ten years ago we acquired a copy each for ourselves. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the book is still available on Amazon.

Non_Descript really did disappear as he had threatened, didn't he? I was curious to see if he would come back before 2010 with the last word.

[Shunya (Namit)]

I've not seen The Family of Man and it sounds like a fascinating book. I'll look it up in my local library. Pretty amazing for a book of photos to have remained in print for over 50 years.

B&W photos that have survived over the decades clearly have something special -- they were deemed worth preserving. Many are in museums or have otherwise risen to the hallowed status of "art". So when we look at B&W photos taken today, we tend to receive them differently. Perhaps we now take them more seriously out of a programmed instinct, all the more easier if the subject matter is more "arty" or grim.