JAMES NACHTWEY
decided to teach himself photography after seeing images
from Vietnam and the Civil Rights movement. Upon graduating
from Dartmouth he worked as a truck driver and on merchant
ships, acquiring skills that would prove useful in his
chosen occupation. After working as a newspaper photographer
in New Mexico, he moved to New York in 1980.
He has been a contract photographer with
Time Magazine since 1984, was a member of Magnum from
1986 – 2001, and is one of the founding members
of the photo agency, VII. The late Richard Avedon called
his book Inferno "the most painful and beautiful
book in the history of photography." In 2007 Nachtwey
was one of three winners of the TED Prize, an award "dedicated
to ideas worth spreading".
Nachtwey’s work has been exhibited
internationally, and his numerous honors include the
Robert Capa Gold Medal (five times), the World Press
Photo Award (twice), Magazine Photographer of the Year
(seven times), the ICP Infinity Award (three times),
and the 12th annual Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities.
"Along with bravery
and perseverance, Mr. Nachtwey’s pictorial virtue
makes him a model war photographer. He doesn’t mix
up his priorities. His goal is to bear witness, because
somebody must, and his pictures, devised to infuriate
and move people to action, are finally about us, and our
concern or lack of it, at least as much they are about
him and his obvious talents."
— Michael Kimmelman, NY Times
"I am a witness and I want my testimony to
be honest and uncensored. I also want it to be powerful
and eloquent and do justice to the people I'm photographing."
— James Nachtwey
