Tech Task #8 TED Talk on James Nachtwey

This is one of his AIDS photographs. Click on "James Nachtwey" to view his website with more images.

During Wednesday's class we were broken into smaller groups. Alex was in my group and she talked about what TED talk she watched and suggested that I watch it because I am doing a photography thing for Eaes class. James Nachtwey is a photojournalist who has worked for over 30 years in the field of photography, doing mainly war shots, African poverty, disasters, etc. His TED talk was very interesting, and I was captured by his amazing photos. Photojournalism can be viewed in many facets. Some people may look at some of the pictures and see them as invading these suffering people's space. What I see when I view these images is the truth. Like James mentioned the pictures put a human face on these dramatic events. By having these images we can personally connect with the stories rather than just hearing about a disaster that happened in another country. Pictures can, more often than not, tell a much more detailed story than words. James also mentioned that his photos give a voice to people who don't have one. Showing this pain and suffering can lead to good things like mentioned about the picture of the man who had been ran over by a train and lost his arm and leg and was living with his family by the river. After the photo was published people donated money out of their own will to help the family get a home. James talked about how when he is taking pictures he is often filled with anger and uses this emotion to clarify his vision for other people to see. I suggest if you get time, and if you have any interest in photography or war/poverty/aids, check out this TED talk or visit James' site.