I made a couple of observations while watching this documentary--First of all, since this film was a documentary, filmmakers were able to do to Nachtwey what he does to his subjects. They got in his face, and took a walk in his shoes, getting a look at what he sees on a "typical" photoshoot. I found it shocking how unafraid and comfortable he was with pushing the limits--especially in terms of his grieving and obviously pained subjects. I think as consumers of photography, we forget about the process. We look at an image and feel as if we are in it while still being separate from it; we know that a photographer was involved in the creation of the image, but we typically don't see that person IN that moment, capturing it. Watching Nachtwey undergo the process--coughing in the sulfur mines, smelling the stench of corpses, narrowly escaping bombs and bullets, gave each image so much more meaning and weight. This documentary helped me take a step back and respect field photography as a process.
Secondly, I found it interesting the relationship Nachtwey had with his subjects. He described his subjects' understanding of his intent-- to document and show the world their suffering. I found it hard for me to watch a woman bawling her eyes out over her son's death, and Nachtwey taking roll after roll of film in this woman's face. I know they were okay with this, but like I said, it was hard for me to watch.
Overall, I loved getting an in depth look at the life of a photographer--especially one whose life is so dangerous.
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