Friday Inspiration – James Nachtwey

James Nachtwey is one of the best photographers in the world. I’ve covered him before in an inspiration post, if you’d like to read for some background information.

In 2007 Nachtwey won the TED Prize. His wish (what he used the prize money for) was, “I’m working on a story that the world needs to know about. I wish for you to help me break it, in a way that provides spectacular proof of the power of news photography in the digital age.”

That story is the emergence of Extremely Drug Resistant Tuberculosis, or XDR-TB. From the TED website, here is what he did:

For 18 months, James Nachtwey went around the world to capture images of the scourge of extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis. On October 3, 2008, his wish became a reality with the launch of the website XDRTB.org, a series of global projections and LED screen showings, and a 7 page spread in TIME magazine. In response to James’ wish, both candidates for US president responded with support for working to stop the spread of TB. Media outlets around the world picked up the story and hundreds of thousands of people viewed the slideshow in the first two weeks after its release.

Here is the slideshow, featuring Nachtwey’s haunting photography:

I’m inspired by someone who sees something in the world that shouldn’t be, and uses his or her unique talent to do something to bring change.

For more information, check out xdrtb.org.

Share This

3 April 2009 | Other Photographers, Photos | Comments