Home / Authors / James Nachtwey

James Nachtwey

James Nachtwey Quotes

Photojournalist

James Nachtwey is a renowned war photographer known for his photographic coverage of conflicts and disasters. Born on March 14, 1948, he has won multiple Pulitzer Prizes throughout his career and is considered one of the most outstanding war photographers of the contemporary era.

Filter quotes by topic

All Photography People War Ifs Photographer Want Kind Knows Tragedy Events Humans I Can Important Jobs Needs Way Antiwar Certain Documentaries Ends

Famous James Nachtwey Quotes

“I don't believe there's any such thing as objective reality. It's only reality as we experience it.”

Believe Reality Photography Don't Believe Objectives Objective Reality

Author:James Nachtwey

“I began after college, about 1972. I began to teach myself photography. I went to work for a local newspaper for four years as a kind of basic training.”

Years Kind Teach Four College Photography Training Newspapers Locals Four Years Basic Training

Author:James Nachtwey

“If there is something occurring that is so bad that it could be considered a crime against humanity, it has to be transmitted with anguish, with pain, and create an impact in people - upset them, shake them up, wake them out of their everyday routine.”

People Ifs Pain Humanity Crime Photography Impact Everyday Upset Shakes Routine Anguish Crimes Against Humanity Everyday Routine

Author:James Nachtwey

“None of the editors I've worked with have ever asked me to pull my punches. They've never asked me to give them anything other than my own interpretation of events.”

Giving My Own Events Photography Interpretation Editors

Author:James Nachtwey

“Photography can be perceived as the opposite of war.”

War Photography Opposites Photographer

Author:James Nachtwey

“I want my pictures to cut through political abstractions... and make a connection on a human level.”

Want Humans Political Levels Cutting Photography Connections Abstraction

Author:James Nachtwey

“I want to record history through the destiny of individuals who often belong to the least wealthy classes. I do not want to show war in general, nor history with a capital H, but rather the tragedy of a single man, of a family.”

Men Want War Shows Individual Class Destiny Records Photography Tragedy Wealthy Single Man

Author:James Nachtwey

“Photojournalists know the horrors of war can only be exposed at close range. Kodak Film.”

Knows War Film Horror Photography Range Exposed Horror Of War Kodak Photojournalists

Author:James Nachtwey

“The greatest statesmen, philosophers, humanitarians ... have not been able to put an end to war. Why place that demand on photography?”

War Ends Able Demand Photography Philosopher Statesmen

Author:James Nachtwey

“Is it possible to put an end to a form of human behavior which has existed throughout history by means of photography?”

Humans Mean Ideas Ends Seems Form Balance Behavior Photography Notion Proportion Motivated Human Behavior

Author:James Nachtwey

“But everyone cannot be there, and that is why photographers go there - to show them, to reach out and grab them and make them stop what they are doing and pay attention to what is going on - to create pictures powerful enough to overcome the diluting effects of the mass media and shake people out of their indifference - to protest and by the strength of that protest to make others protest.”

People Enough Shows Powerful Pay Attention Effects Media Photography Mass Overcoming Photographer Pay Attention Indifference Shakes Protest Reach Out Mass Media

Author:James Nachtwey

“It is very hard to say where you're going until you get there. That kind of thing is based very much on instinct. As a photographer, one of the most important lessons I have learnt is that you have to learn to listen to and trust your own instinct. It has helped to guide me - this far at least.”

Kind Important Hard Lessons Photography Instinct Photographer Guides Important Lessons Guide Me

Author:James Nachtwey

“Many people in this world do jobs that are dangerous and where their life is at risk and they feel that there is some kind of value to their job I guess that's how I feel about what I do. There is a social function to documentary photography that is very important and it requires people to take risks.”

People World Feels Kind Important Jobs Life Is Values Social Risk Dangerous This World Photography Function Documentaries Documentary Photography

Author:James Nachtwey

“When the truth is spoken, it doesn't need to be adorned. It just needs to be simply stated, and often it only needs to be said once.”

Needs Said Truth Is Photography

Author:James Nachtwey

“For me, the strength of photography lies in its ability to evoke humanity. If war is an attempt to negate humanity, then photography can be perceived as the opposite of war.”

Ifs War Lying Humanity Ability Photography Opposites Photographer Evoke

Author:James Nachtwey

“If Im feeling outraged, grief, disbelief, frustration, sympathy, that gets channeled through me and into my pictures and hopefully transmitted to the viewer.”

Ifs Feelings Grief Photography Hopefully Frustration Viewers Disbelief Outraged

Author:James Nachtwey

“There is a job to be doneto record the truth. I want to wake people up!”

People Want Jobs Records Photography

Author:James Nachtwey

“[Photography] puts a human face on issues which, from afar, can appear abstract or ideological or monumental in their global impact.”

Humans Inspiration Faces Motivation Issues Photography Impact Abstract Ideological Afar Human Faces

Author:James Nachtwey

“I want my work to become part of our visual history, to enter our collective memory and our collective conscience. I hope it will serve to remind us that history's deepest tragedies concern not the great protagonists who set events in motion but the countless ordinary people who are caught up in those events and torn apart by their remorseless fury. I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated.”

“I used to call myself a war photographer. Now I consider myself as an antiwar photographer.”

War Used Photography Photographer Antiwar

Author:James Nachtwey

“I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated.”

Should Has Beens Events Photography Forgotten Witness Testimony Torn Apart Remorseless

Author:James Nachtwey

“I try to use whatever I know about photography to be of service to the people I'm photographing.”

People Knows Trying Use Photography

Author:James Nachtwey

“I dont think tragic situations are necessarily devoid of beauty.”

Thinking Situation Photography Tragic

Author:James Nachtwey

About the Author

Born: March 14, 1948
Known for: Photojournalist
Quotes: 34

Related Topics

Photography People War Ifs Photographer Want Kind Knows Tragedy Events Humans I Can Important Jobs Needs Way Antiwar Certain Documentaries Ends

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Similar Authors

Bill JayBrowse related quotes
Jay MaiselBrowse related quotes
Elliott ErwittBrowse related quotes
Frederick SommerBrowse related quotes
Sebastiao SalgadoBrowse related quotes
David HurnBrowse related quotes
Joyce TennesonBrowse related quotes
Keith CarterBrowse related quotes
John SzarkowskiBrowse related quotes
Emmet GowinBrowse related quotes