Wednesday, October 8, 2008

"War Photographer" James Nachtway

James Nachtway is probably one of the most renowned and inspirational photographers I have ever studied about.  His photographs depict a lot of pain, suffering, anger, sadness, and depression.  Throughout the documentary, I felt so emotional and passionate about how Nachtway photographs war and conflict.  He photographs people up close to reveal their pain and agony over a loss due to war.  When he mentioned about how he became a war photographer, it was very interesting story.  The pictures and film during the Vietnam War had inspired him because it was a clear and expressive way of showing what was going on over there and its impact on the people both civilian and military.  I believe that he has accomplished this inspiration through his photographs by examining war and poverty and its impact on society.  It was also interesting how he believes that as a photographer he is witnessing history as a sense of adventure, but you face danger everyday.  His experience as a war photographer is similar to what soldiers experience during war.  I was amazed at how strong and he was to photograph war and poverty as well as witnessing and listening to people's stories about its horrors.  Photographers and journalists work together for one goal: to tell a story about war; a journalist tells it through writing and a photographer tells it through photographs.  I also thought it was interesting how the people he photographed had accepted him because it helps them bring a voice t the outside world and let others know what is going on and their suffering.  Later on in the documentary, I was amazed by how calm and relaxed he was while photographing during a confrontation.  Looking at his photographs of the confrontation he was part of, I could tell that they were perfect by how he was able to capture a certain moment that was very moving and intense.  When his photographs were on displayed, I noticed how the viewers were reacting to them.  They were crying and standing still while looking at the photographs.  They were feeling a lot of sadness and disbelief.  At that point, the viewers knew what was going on in other countries.  I feel the same way when I look at them.  Towards the end of the documentary, Nachtway asked a very interesting question: "Could photographing war help bring an end to human behavior and suffering?"  In my opinion, I believe that it could bring an end to human suffering and behavior because war photography shows us that we need to stop, listen, and see what is going on in the world that is experiencing war and poverty.  As a viewer, I believe that Nachtwey has answered that question because I am aware of a country's suffering due to war and there is a solution to solving it.   

No comments: