James Nachtwey
James Nachtwey
James Nachtweyis an American photojournalist and war photographer...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPhotographer
Date of Birth14 March 1948
CountryUnited States of America
photography cutting political
I want my pictures to cut through political abstractions... and make a connection on a human level.
photography war opposites
Photography can be perceived as the opposite of war.
photography college years
I began after college, about 1972. I began to teach myself photography. I went to work for a local newspaper for four years as a kind of basic training.
photography war destiny
I want to record history through the destiny of individuals who often belong to the least wealthy classes. I do not want to show war in general, nor history with a capital H, but rather the tragedy of a single man, of a family.
photography war horror
Photojournalists know the horrors of war can only be exposed at close range. Kodak Film.
photography jobs people
Many people in this world do jobs that are dangerous and where their life is at risk and they feel that there is some kind of value to their job I guess that's how I feel about what I do. There is a social function to documentary photography that is very important and it requires people to take risks.
photography motivation inspiration
[Photography] puts a human face on issues which, from afar, can appear abstract or ideological or monumental in their global impact.
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.
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.
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.
photography important lessons
It is very hard to say where you're going until you get there. That kind of thing is based very much on instinct. As a photographer, one of the most important lessons I have learnt is that you have to learn to listen to and trust your own instinct. It has helped to guide me - this far at least.
photography war lying
For me, the strength of photography lies in its ability to evoke humanity. If war is an attempt to negate humanity, then photography can be perceived as the opposite of war.