Courtney Doyle BA Hons Photography Blog Level 5: James Nachtwey

James Nachtwey is a well known and successful War photographer. His decision to become a photographer came after graduating Dartmouth College with a art history and political science degree. It was images from the American civil rights movement and Vietnam War that had an effect on James, to want be involved in a photographic career. Since this time, James has devoted himself to photographing wars and conflicts going on in the world and has travelled to most places on the planet. Nachtwey has had numerous numbers of his work published in magazines and newspaper, making his documentary work also editorial. I find myself quite speechless when looking at his work because of the truth that is in his images, which can be quite shocking as he has captured some of the main social issues and events in the world such as AIDs sufferers, famine, 9/11 and poverty. His photographs bring a sense of extraordinary because of how real and authentic they are. His contract with Time Magazine has taken him around the world multiple times over 30 years and has spent this time photographing the places and individuals most people would want to avoid. However his work has brought the publication the western world has needed to see during the last three decades and has delivered photographs that will be seen as historic events.

Editorial work featured in Time Magazine