James Nachtwey
James Nachtwey
James Nachtweyis an American photojournalist and war photographer...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPhotographer
Date of Birth14 March 1948
CountryUnited States of America
jobs people upset
If I can upset people, if I can ruin their day, then I have done my job.
war photographer used
I used to call myself a war photographer. Now I consider myself as an antiwar photographer.
photography powerful media
But everyone cannot be there, and that is why photographers go there - to show them, to reach out and grab them and make them stop what they are doing and pay attention to what is going on - to create pictures powerful enough to overcome the diluting effects of the mass media and shake people out of their indifference - to protest and by the strength of that protest to make others protest.
photography mean ideas
Is it possible to put an end to a form of human behavior which has existed throughout history by means of photography? The proportions of that notion seem ridiculously out of balance. Yet, that very idea has motivated me.
humane-way important tragedy
Unfortunately, the world continues, history continues to produce tragedies. And it is very important that they be documented in a humane way, in a compelling way.
believe reality objectives
I don't believe there's any such thing as objective reality. It's only reality as we experience it.
ambition compassion ideas
The worst thing is to feel that as a photographer I'm benefiting from someone else's tragedy. This idea haunts me. It's something I have to reckon with every day, because I know that if I ever allow genuine compassion to be overtaken by personal ambition, I will have sold my soul. The only way I can justify my role is to have respect for the other person's predicament. The extent to which I do that is the extent to which I become accepted by the other and to that extent I can accept myself.
photography needs truth-is
When the truth is spoken, it doesn't need to be adorned. It just needs to be simply stated, and often it only needs to be said once.
fire snipers moments
You are never freer than in that moment when you decide to expose yourself to sniper fire.
pain impact everyday-routine
If there is something occurring that is so bad that it could be considered a crime against humanity, it has to be transmitted with anguish, with pain, and create an impact in people - upset them, shake them up, wake them out of their everyday routine.
photography war demand
The greatest statesmen, philosophers, humanitarians ... have not been able to put an end to war. Why place that demand on photography?
photography people trying
I try to use whatever I know about photography to be of service to the people I'm photographing.
powerful war military
The pictures that were coming from Vietnam were showing us what was really happening on the ground level. It was in contradiction to what our political and military leaders were telling us. They were straight forward documentary images. A powerful indictment of the war, of how cruel and unjust it was. When I finally decided what to do with my life, it was to follow in that tradition.
ears half damage
I'm half deaf. I have nerve damage and a constant ringing in both of my ears, and there are certain times and conditions when I can hardly hear at all.