WITNESS photography

       James Nachtwey is a self taught photographer that originally started as a newspaper photographer/photo journalist. After an assignment to Northern Ireland for the 1987 IRA hunger strike became a war photographer and photo journalist as he continued to document "war, conflicts, critical social issues" and has covered disputes from Bosnia to the United States documenting rebels, soldiers, war victims, AIDs, and starvation.

       With some further investigation I discovered he prefers to use the Canon EOS-1Ds and EOS-1V SLR. Nachtwey mainly centers on black and white photos which work to greatly enhance the stories he tells through his lens.

Nicaragua, 1984-Contra mortally
wounded in jungle warfare

Romania, 1990- An orphanage for "incurables"

Bosnia, 1993- wounded soldier

New York, 2001- Searching for survivors

     "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."

- James Nachtwey

~Jazz
(photos courtesy of http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/)

Hello Mother Nature, thank you for knocking.

        Last Saturday my roommates and I were able to safely and dryly experience the large storm that had rolled through town. After our dorms were assaulted by torrential rain, harsh winds, and life time's worth of hail we decided to document the hail build up outside our door.

Played around with camera settings to get a
semi-clear photo
 of the flooded drainage in the courtyard.

Hail build up outside of our door.

Got up close and personal with the hail and tried different settings
with the flash on and off to get experiment with the different light.

~Jazz

(photos courtesy of myself)

Resident Bunny

      Being lucky enough to have gained a dorm room that faced the football field instead of the cramped courtyard allows us to enjoy our little furried friends. And with having these rooms for the last two years we have become quite well acquainted with the local warren of rabbits.

Last years mates

          This year we have a new arrival that immediately took our attention by his rather cute markings of domestic and wild coloring.

Why hello there.

        After much debate this handsome fellow is diversely named Snuffles and Peanut. Peanut by his rather cute like qualities and Snuffles by the bone structure of his face (I much prefer Snuffles).

Notice the squarish nose and elongated snout?

        For the last few days I have been quite taken with this rabbit and have been on a constant watch for his daily feedings. As he is mostly by himself I have been able to get a few good pictures of his bone structure for further research, for I have yet to decide if he would be making a debut as an obscure creature or if he shall remain as simply Snuffles.

~Jazz
(photos courtesy of myself)

Nice little profile.

JR "Showing life surviving through conflict"

 About two years ago I literally stumbled upon (stumbleupon.com) a video from TED talks. The video was center on the French photographer JR and his One Wish, which was simply "Use art to turn the world inside out".

 

TED talks: JR

    His beginnings grabbed my attention but his mission completely captured it. I wasn't much into photography or photographers until I watched his videos, seen his work, and read his story. JR was the single person that drew my attention to the photography world. Showing me that photography wasn't just simple pictures of beauty but an art form that can and does speak volumes.

 

"Women are Heroes", Rio de Janiero, Brasil

    What strikes me the most is not only the portraits/photos themselves but of the nearly forced interaction between unsuspecting audiences and the subjects. In his early pieces took photos of "street thugs" after a series of riots and pasted the photos illegally through the richer streets of Paris. A few years later JR started project called "Face 2 Face" which united Israelis and Palestinians, then yet again JR started a project titled "Women are Heroes", to pay homage to women and their suffering from conflicts.

"Face 2 Face", Separation Wall Security Fence Israeli Side, Abu Dis, Jerusalem

   JR used his photos to connect the media with people, to show the world that what we see in the media is only a small part of the whole. That people can continue to live through violent conflicts that not only effect themselves but others.
   JR's shows that life still continues during any hardship.

~Jazz

(photos courtesy of JR on http://www.jr-art.net/)