James Nachtwey Documentary Questions

1.) What kind of personality do you think photojournalists like James have? What kind of person do you think can do a job like that?

To be able to do such a emotionally taxing job like Nachtwey does you have to try to be emotionally detached but also to be able to empathize at times.  One of the people in the film said that to do what he does you can't be devoted to two things you have to kind of be single-minded and a loner that way nothing holds you back from getting the best work.  He is able to stay focused in the field but when he has to take photos of people he is able to show empathy towards them, enough so that they are accepting that he is there documenting the tragedy that occurred in their life.  It's something that you have to prepare yourself for subconsciously to be able to get through.

2.) What do you think of his approach of photographing people?

At first I was shocked at the fact that he was getting right up in the faces of these people who had lost everything or loved ones and snapping photos.  But then I saw how great these photos would turn out and understood that to take a shot like that you would have to do that.  None of the people seemed to mind that he was there, it was almost as if he was a ghost because they acted so natural and didn't even notice him.  After he said that people accepted him because it gives them a voice and shows the rest of the world what they're going through and the right and wrong, I was a lot more okay with his technique.

3.) What kind of subjects does Stem Magazine cover?

Stem magazine covers real new stories and puts the reader right in the action where James is.  It covers the tragedies from wars that are happening in the world. 

4.) What conflicts did he cover in the film?

Two of the biggest conflicts that stood out in the film were from Rwanda and the train-track segment.  James said Rwanda was the most intense war he'd seen.  He didn't understand how people could have such fear and hatred towards each other and how they could harm each other like that.  After that war ended the losing side spread out to nearby countries and soon after there was a cholera epidemic which James also covered.  He said that he was likely taking pictures of people dying from the disease who just a few years earlier he had taken pictures of killing people in gruesome ways.

Another story that stood out was the one he covered at the train-tracks.  I don't remember where exactly it was but people would come in from the countryside to try to make a better living for their family in the city.  They would build houses out of boxes and other things they could find and live rent free by the rail-road tracks.  One of the men he covered was missing a leg and an arm from a drunken night getting hit by a train.  Despite his disabilities he still cared very much for his kids and went off to work everyday.  These people lived in dangerous situations but they worked so hard for their families they cared so much about which was very moving.

5.) What pictures ended up being used?

The most dramatic pictures are always the ones that end up being used.

6.)Why did he become a war photographer?

He made the decision to become a war photographer in the early 70’s when he was in Vietnam because he was witnessing history and through photography you could document it.  It was dangerous but also adventure and you got to feel peoples’ emotions.    Photographers tell a different story than what political and military leaders tell and he wanted to tell the truth.