James Nachtway - ethics of war photography

No, I haven't, but I have his book "Deeds of War" and to be able to operate efficiently under those type of conditions as a documentary photographer the adrenaline would be running fairly high constantly, just as it would be when someone threw a grenade into the humvee you were traveling in. Not all people can stand this amount of constant stimulation.

See the film, then, rather than making assumptions. I say that in all seriousness, and not as some sort of put-down. You'll find it an eye-opener.

 

If you call someone an adrenaline junkie, then you're implying that his motivation is to get the adrenaline rush. Watching War Photographer will put paid to that idea pretty quickly. Besides which, it's a good film and if you're one of the few people who has a copy of Deeds of War then you really should see it.

The book is an eye opener enough without viewing the video. I did not mean to infer James Nacthwey gets an buzz from the adrenaline that his occupation turns loose in him in the same manner an extreme athlete does. As I said, he would often be operating in areas where the 'fight or flight' syndrome would be paramount, he must like to perform in this mode to have continued at his craft for so long. He is obviously a person of extremely cool nerves and rationalism to survive in his profession as long as he has. The human body can only stand this over-stimulation for so long, Obviously Nacthwey has phenomenal endurance. I have the utmost respect for him as a completely unique photographer in his field. Is this clear enough?

 

There are an element of pedants on this site that pick up on syntax and spelling errors and pounce on the authors of such items in an attempt to show their own greater wisdom, when all they are really doing is displaying their own small minds for all to see.

That's funny. I didn't think I was criticizing your spelling or syntax. If you didn't mean what I thought you meant, that's fine.

 

Thanks for the insults, though.

Just a general observation and statement Andrew, and not directed specifically at you. Merry Xmas to you, and hoping our mentor James Nachtwey is recovering well from his recent injuries

Something for the armchair critics:

 

<p><a href="http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0110/video/jn06.ram">James Nachtwey: The Responsibility to Continue</a> (RealOne Player required)

Thanks for that link Al, He is a dedicated and driven man, who has already contributed much in creating awareness about the things we do to each other. The longer he stays in the field the higher becomes the risk factor. He's 55 now. We can only pray that all goes well for him in future endeavors

i wish i could enter in contact with him....

 

.oesse.

"Something for the armchair critics:"

 

And what exactly is the non-sympathetic armchair critic supposed to take away from that clip?

 

When one gets a grip on the "true" nature of "global" humanity's hateful nature, they'll understand the breveity my comment as until then, they'll just be another convenient critic of the critic.

 

Sorry, the clip didn't work for me as the blatently pervasive hate in the world is too overwhelming for me to have sympathy with people unwilling to point their condemming finger at the "real" evils in the world.

 

It's not going change until people mature. And until this maturing takes place, it will continue in perpetuity, how ever morphed, no matter which sympathetic soul records the event.

<p>I find it difficult to argue with <strong>Andrew Pitman</strong>, mainly because how silly, childish, and short-sighted his point is.<strong> </strong>So I wont.<br>

Instead I would just asume that if you feel this way agains James Nachtwey, then you would surely feel exactly the same way about master photographers like Robert Cappa, Sebastiao Salgado and SO many others.<br>

Do you really believe they "took" something from someone? Do you really believe someone grabs a heavy camera, travels thousands of miles, gets sick, shot (J.N. got shot more than once, you know), sleeps in hard ground, away from his family, friends, and loved ones, not knowing if he/she wil EVER come back to see them.<br>

Do you think any human being could do that kind of sacrifice just because they want to make a profit?<br>

I hate to break it to you, but there are fare more easier, and faster ways to make money than those.<br>

Theese people do it because they love it, because they cant see themselves doing anything else. They arent "taking" anything away, they are giving a whole lot to the world, they talk, help and make bonds with most of the people they shoot, they make their misery known so the world can make a choice.<br>

You, my fellow photogapher, are deeply mistaken.</p>

<p>It is strange to answer to what someone posted 6 years ago, however I feel that I still should respond to Mr. Akiyoshi's comments. <br>

<em>"Christian Frei is a competent filmmaker, but he seemed disinclined to deal effectively with the fact that Nachtwey profits from the misery of others."</em><br>

Well, being the amazing photographer that he is, Mr. Nachtway would probably make a really good living shooting celebrities or doing commercial or fine art photography without even getting his hands dirty. Of course he has to get paid for what he is doing, just like a fireman should get paid for doing his or her job. However, that doesn't take away the danger that they put themselves in in order to save lives. He speaks very clear in the film of the reasons why he does what he does and I don't think he does it for money.<br>

<!--StartFragment--><em>"It's just that I think his role in society is becoming rightfully obsolete; why send a foreigner to document war and famine when you can give video cameras to the oppressed peoples and let them document themselves? THEY know what they want to say, and the technology is simple enough that anyone can use it with an hour of training."</em><br>

You can also ask, why send doctors to a conflict zone? Just give them medicines and medical instruments and they could figure it out, they know where it hurts. Not everyone has the skills and the talent to tell a story with a picture. It is not just about make it look pretty. It is also difficult to be objective when you're part of the conflict. The reason why his images are so powerful, is because he has the training, the experience, the talent, and the sensibility to create these magnificent pictures. And they might not have an impact on everyone, but they definitely have an impact on many people. And yes, images have had the power to create the urgency in people to stop wars. Unlike other photographers who might enjoy seeing the suffering, I believe Mr. Nachtway also suffers and the reason he keeps shooting is because he's actually committed to his social responsibility. In terms of pain, it is not important what's your nationality, you just have to be human enough to feel it. That is why his images transcend languages and borders.<br>

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