Photojournalist James Nachtwey is considered by many to be the greatest
war photographer of recent decades. He has covered conflicts and major
social issues in more than 30 countries.
For the past three decades, James Nachtwey has devoted himself
to documenting wars, conflicts and critical social issues, working in
El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza,
Israel, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, the Philippines,
South Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Rwanda, South Africa, Russia, Bosnia,
Chechnya, Kosovo, Romania, Brazil and the United States.
Nachtwey has been a contract photographer with Time since 1984.
However, when certain stories he wanted to cover — such as Romanian
orphanages and famine in Somalia — garnered no interest from magazines,
he self-financed trips there. He is known for getting up close to his subjects,
or as he says, “in the same intimate space that the subjects inhabit,” and he
passes that sense of closeness on to the viewer.
In putting himself in the middle of conflict, his intention is to record the truth,
to document the struggles of humanity, and with this, to wake people up and
stir them to action. As he says: “I’m a witness and I want my testimony to be
honest and uncensored. I also want it to be powerful and eloquent and to do
as much justice as possible to the experience of the people I’m photographing.”
When James Nachtwey was awarded the TED Prize in 2007, he was given
$100,000 and one wish to change the world. He wished for our help in telling a
vital story to the world, using powerful photos taken around the globe. This
photography project and this site are the result of his wish.
“Reticent about discussing his own life beyond the basic facts, he’s clearly one
of those rare characters who focus singularly on their work with a
missionary-like sense of purpose.”
– Salon.com
