James Nachtwey

[Gregorian]

I just found this website three minutes ago. I'm going to bed now. But the first few glimpses make it obvious this needs to be seen by people on this forum.

http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/



And here is something I took. I was driving up highway 1 just south of the northern california border. And this little bay with a small opening to the ocean, was calm in the early morning. I took the left side of the opening. Well, it's just a picture. A Rorshach.

[ConsAreLiars]

1. Thanks. Nachtway is astounding!

The truths he shows as a documentarian are compelling. And the art with which he expresses those truths is awesome. RIM might want to attach himself to this guy like a tick and demand an apprenticeship. RIM's photos have that same talent for using the aesthetics of the image to intensify the message, but Nachtway is a True Master. Reminds me of Salgado - http://www.terra.com.br/sebastiaosalgado/ and http://www.pdngallery.com/legends/legends10/ .

[Blue_In_AK]

2. That gallery is heart-wrenching...

and that's a very fine reflection shot. I love Highway 1 to the north. Is this in Humboldt County?

[Gregorian]

4. I think so.

I had a trailer moving to my new place. It's probably very north Humboldt. I've been spending a lot of time thinking about going back the other direction. And ran into that photo. It might be the southern part of Del Norte county. It's one fantastic trip though. One couldn't ask for a more beautiful place to be towing a trailer back and forth.

[wakeme2008]

3. LOL Grrrrrrr I miss read your post

I thought that picture was from the web site and I wanted to see more... but the web site is all about war and depressing......

I love that picture you took :)

[Gregorian]

5. Thanks.

Sorry about that. I know. I just didn't feel like my picture deserved it's own thread. To be honest, his photos are far superior. I really don't know how people take photos of people. It's far from easy. Like someone said on another forum- portraits don't move. There was a whole discussion on how taking photos of people has become almost violent in places like America. Americans have become paranoid. Whereas in Tibet, and most other places, people are honored. It says a lot about who we have become. I still don't have the nerve or ability to take pictures of people.

[Blue_In_AK]

6. I'm right there with you

The only people pictures I feel comfortable taking are of my family - or with a long lens. It's impossible for me to just get up in their faces, no way in hell.

[priller]

7. Excellent photo

Very peaceful and tranquil. Unlike much of the world now, unfortunately.

The Nachtwey photos, on the other hand, are like a punch to the gut. This one got to me, especially:

[Gregorian]

8. Oh my god.

The suffering kills me. I feel deflated. I have not looked his entire site over because of it. For those of us who care, it's overwhelming. And then maddening. But it's important. Because of our lack of media coverage, Americans have been allowed to become careless. Out of sight, out of mind.

And here I am with a loaf of bread in my oven right now. Phew.

[Maestro]

10. Son of a *******!

That poor man. That is like a punch in the gut. I feel for him.

[Maestro]

9. Wow!

Good stuff there!

[ConsAreLiars]

11. There is a documentary about him called "War Photographer"

which I caught last night on the Documentary Channel (Dish ch. 197) http://www.documentarychannel.ca/docs/listing.asp?StartLetter=War%20Photographer&id=769

The documentary site is http://www.war-photographer.com/en/ and you can get a few clues about it there.

It doesn't appear to be due to repeat any time soon, but is listed on Chomsky Torrents http://www.chomskytorrents.org/DownloadTorrent.php?TorrentID=159 (but only zero sources at the moment - maybe in a week there will be one).

I recommend it very highly for the truth he tells with his photos. But also for getting an understanding of how he understands his calling and how that sense of mission shapes his every move and every decision about how to photograph what he encounters. His photos are able to convey what he sees to the viewer so stunningly because he sees himself as the medium through which they, his subjects, can speak to us, and he is accepted into these highly charged situations as "one of them" because he feels himself as a part of their lives, not apart from them.

There are lessons about photography in this documentary, especially people pix, that apply to us lesser mortals, as well as broader lessons about life and the world.

I knew nothing about this guy when the website was recommended by Gregorian, other than that he was a True Master, but this documentary gives some of the answers to the questions about what kind of person could possibly create these images, and how can they do it.

See it if you can.