James Nachtwey is a marvellous photojournalist of America. He is born and brought up in Massachusetts and graduated in art history and political science from Dartmouth College. He started his career as a newspaper photographer at the Albuquerque Journal. Then he switched his occupation to that of a freelance photographer and moved to New York. He has successfully documented a lot of issues related to society and armed conflicts. He has also worked with the Time since 1984. He was one of the members of Magnum Photos and the co-founder of VII Photo Agency. He has also created a photo essay on the effects of the conflict which took place in Sudan on civilians. He was shot with a bullet in 2014, in the month of February while photographing the political protests in Thailand. He is a winner of Ted prize and has won 100,000 dollars as a cash prize.
War Photographer
This is a documentary movie on James Nachtwey directed by Christian Frei. The story not only revolves around this man but also covers the lives of all those photojournalists who are involved in war journalism and the types of content that they cover. The movie has garnered a plethora of laurels like Peabody Award 2003. It was also nominated for Academy award 2002 and Emmy Award 2004. The actors of the movie were James Nachtwey, Christiane Amanpour, Hans-Hermann Klare , Christiane Breustedt , Des Wright , Denis O’Neill, etc. Edward Guthmann, a spectator of the movie, said that it inculcates compassion in people. This movie shows the struggle involved in the day to day life of a photographer-journalist. Photography is an art which can be acquired by only a few people. It is about having the ability to see the story in everything around and then making people aware of the things. A photographer takes a lot of risks and brings forth the best work which he can offer.Unknown Things about James Nachtwey
This man did not have enough money to take admission to a photography school and used to take pictures using a borrowed camera. He used to read books on photography and then carry out the rest of the tasks. He used to click pictures outside and then show his work to some edition or the other. After some years he made a portfolio from his pictures and took it to Time magazine which immediately liked his work and hired him for a full-time job. His story suggests that it does not matter whether you are born with a silver spoon in the mouth or not; what matters is how well you allow your limited resources to reach your full potential. Being born in a middle-class family, he has reached levels which people from affluent backgrounds cannot, because of his passion and an unwavering attitude to learning.Advice from James Nachtwey for young photographers
It is essential for young photographers to take risks to explore more about their talents and also about the different dimensions of photography. However, it is also important to have a backup plan before taking risks; otherwise the consequences can be extremely excruciating. It is also important to do an analysis of the public before photographing about a particular issue; otherwise, the impact will not be as desired. It does not matter how much talented you are; if you do not know how to present your work in a way that the audience can relate to it, then your efforts go in vain. Also, keep on learning from your failures to be successful.Memoria
This is a stupendous book written by James Nachtwey. It includes conflicts and issues related to the society. This book is basically inspired by his war photography. He pays homage to the victims of violence in his book. It has got good reviews from the readers.Awards and Recognition
- He has won Robert Capability Gold medal from the Overseas Press Club
- He has won World Press Photo of the year
- He is also a winner of the fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society
- He has won Academy Awards nomination for the best documentary film for war Photographer.
- He is also a winner of Dresden Peace prize
