James Nachtwey is a new hero of mine. War Photographer by Christian Frei is a must see. I watched this film for the first time Saturday night and I can't get it out of my head. I remain shaken not because of extreme graphic content, but from Nachtwey's intimate look into the lives of everyday people caught in hopeless situations of war and poverty. He takes you right into the mix of hot spots like, Kosovo, The Balkans (June 1999), Jakarta, Indonesia (May/June 1999), Ramallah, Palestine (October/November 2000), Kawah Ijen, A Sulfur Mine in East Java, Indonesia (October 1999). I got rocked by this film. I'd love to hear your comments on this documentary.
"I attempt to become as totally responsible to the subject as I possibly can. The act of being an outsider aiming a camera can be a violation of humanity. The only way I can justify my role is to have respect for the other person’s predicament. The extend to which I do that is the extent to which I become accepted by the other, and to that extent I can accept myself."
—James Nachtwey (1985)
4 comments:
Peter:
Ditto on the movie, sure is amazing.
I ran into this clip today showing James Natchwey accepting the 2007 TED prize. Thought you might enjoy it.
http://ted.streamguys.net/ted_nachtwey_j_2007_480.mov
Gustavo
gafl@comcast.net
Thanks for the link Gustavo. That is a really cool quick overview of Nachtwey's career. Inspiring.
saw the movie a couple months ago. definitely moving. that guy is a machine - in a good way, but also maybe a bad. it seems like his work has taken a toll.
he was wounded in iraq a few years ago (after the movie was made). hand grenade was thrown into a truck he was traveling in. another photog grabbed the grenade and threw it out of the truck in time to save everyone's life. but not in time to keep his arm. yikes.
Hey Geordie, thanks for stopping by. I wasn't aware that he was one of the photographers involved with that grenade incident I remember hearing about. Crazy.
Can you recommend any books about Nachtwey?
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