James Nachtwey, Photographer
Tom directed me toward James Nachtwey’s photography yesterday. I barely even know where to start or what to say about it. His ability to capture the essence of conflict around the world is at once stunning and horrifying. The raw emotion behind his photos and the fact that he’s shooting moments that have effects worldwide make his images all the more impactful.
Nachtwey is a self-taught photographer who learned while traveling the world in various manners: merchant marine, truck driver, and eventually photojournalist. In 1976, he started his career as a photographer in New Mexico, eventually moving to New York in 1980. After two decades of shooting wars and social issues around the world, he helped to found VII, a photographic agency focusing on conflict photography.
His images of 9/11 are particularly haunting, as is the story of his shots:
On September 9th 2001, VII announced its formation. On the following night, covering for the missed return flight of a colleague, James Nachtwey arrived at his Manhattan apartment close to the World Trade Center. The next morning, he photographed some of the most haunting pictures of the collapse of the towers, at the same time eloquently conveying the destruction of a way of life.
Have a look at Nachtwey’s work on his personal site, or on the VII site.
