War Photographer Quotes
James Nachtwey: While I was doing this reportage, I discovered a man who had one arm and one leg. He'd been run over by a train seven years ago on a drunken night and somehow managed to survive. He was living with his wife and four children in the gravel between railway tracks. I could see that he was very loving towards his children; that they also loved him in return. That he was trying his best to keep his family together. And spent quite a bit of time documenting the life of this family.
Movie: War Photographer
James Nachtwey: 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?
Movie: War Photographer
James Nachtwey: 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.
Movie: War Photographer