I'm A Messenger. I Don't Want People To Be Concerned About Me. I Want Them To Be Concerned About The People In The Pictures. I Try To Use Whatever I Know About Photography To Be Of Service To The People I'm Photographing. I'm Trying Not To Create Photographs That Viewers Will Look At And Think: "What A Good Photographer He Is," Or "Look What An Interesting Composition He Can Make." I Want The First Impact, And By Far The Most Powerful Impact, To Be About An Emotional, Intellectual And Moral Reaction To What Is Happening To These People. I Want My Presence To Be Transparent.

I'm a messenger. I don't want people to be concerned about me. I want them to be concerned about the people in the pictures. I try to use whatever I know about photography to be of service to the people I'm photographing. I'm trying not to create photographs that viewers will look at and think: "What a good photographer he is," or "Look what an interesting composition he can make." I want the first impact, and by far the most powerful impact, to be about an emotional, intellectual and moral reaction to what is happening to these people. I want my presence to be transparent.

James Nachtwey

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I dont use the formal elements of photography for their own sake. I dont use whats happening in the world to make statements about photography, I use photography to make statements about whats happening in the world. Im a witness and I want my testimony to be eloquent.

James Nachtwey

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There has always been war. War is raging throughout the world at the present moment. And there is little reason to believe that war will cease to exist in the future. As man has become increasingly civilized, his means of destroying his fellow man have become ever more efficient, cruel and devastating.

James Nachtwey

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We must look at it. We're required to look at it. We're required to do what we can about it. If we don't, who will?

James Nachtwey

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In a way, if and individual assumes the risk of placing himself in the middle of a war to communicate to the rest of the world what's happening, he's trying to negotiate for peace. Perhaps that's the reason for those in charge of perpetuating the war do not like to have photographers around.

James Nachtwey

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Why photograph war? Is it possible to put an end to a form of human behavior, which has existed throughout history, by the means of photography.

James Nachtwey

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It's more difficult to get publications to focus on issues that are more critical, that do not provide people with as escape from reality but attempt to get them deeper into reality. To be concerned about something much greater than themselves. And I think people are concerned. I think quite often, publishers don't give their audience enough credit for that. In fact, at the end of the day, I believe people do want to know when there's some major tragedy going on; when there's some unacceptable situation happening in this world. And they want something done about it. That's what I believe. We must look at it. We're required to look at it. We're requited to do what we can about it. If we don't, who will?

James Nachtwey

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The worst thing is to feel that as a photographer I am benefiting from someone else's tragedy. This idea haunts me. It's something I have to reckon with every day because I know that if I ever allowed genuine compassion to be overtaken by personal ambition, I will have sold my soul. The only way I can justify my role is to have respect for the other person's predicament. The extent to which I do that is the extent to which I become accepted by the other; and to that extent, I can accept myself. Share this quote

James Nachtwey

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The main purpose of my work is to appear in the mass media. It's not so much that I want my pictures to be looked upon as art objects as it is a form of communication. Whatever I did that accomplished something, I'm glad for it. But there's always so much more to do. I've never felt complete; I've never felt satisfied. I wouldn't say I could use the word 'happy' about it because its always involved other people's tragedies and other people's misfortunes. At best, there's a kind of grim satisfaction that perhaps I brought some attention, and focused people's attention on these problems. Perhaps it brought some relief. But its shifting sand that keeps moving.

James Nachtwey

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