--- description: TIME contract photographer James Nachtwey has spent the last 30 years on the frontlines title: James Nachtwey: How Photography Can Change the World image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt72d967b594dff578/69877d5dcd1bbafdbc6f505e/nma_7907.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/) ## LightBox Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # James Nachtwey: How Photography Can Change the World ## Video: A Look Back at James Nachtwey's Career [Watch (HLS stream): A Look Back at James Nachtwey's Career](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xXdV9cmT.m3u8) (5:18)  _Published 2015-02-03. TIME contract photographer James Nachtwey has spent the last 30 years on the frontlines_ by [James Nachtwey](/author/james-nachtwey/) ## James Nachtwey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 3, 2015 5:05 PM CUT  James Nachtwey receives the Creative Excellence Award at the American Society of Magazine Editors' National Magazine Award on Feb. 2, 2015 James Nachtwey receives the Creative Excellence Award at the American Society of Magazine Editors' National Magazine Award on Feb. 2, 2015Albert Chau—ASME by [James Nachtwey](/author/james-nachtwey/) ## James Nachtwey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 3, 2015 5:05 PM CUT _Recognized for his 30 years of work, Nachtwey is more than a war photographer. “At the heart of his work are the world’s injustices: Famine. Poverty. Disease. Human rights violations,” said Kira Pollack, TIME’s director of photography. “More than any other photographer, he is able to express_ _hope_ _in the midst of human suffering.” Below, TIME LightBox publishes Nachtwey’s acceptance speech._ Receiving this kind of recognition from this particular group is a tremendous honor – but I’m only one among many journalists who’ve committed themselves to covering conflicts and revealing social injustices, that have been hidden or ignored, but that are crying out to be corrected. It’s the combined work of all of us, together, that builds the critical mass of information and insight that creates change and helps make the world a better place. And I want to dedicate this award to those who have only been silenced by imprisonment or by giving their lives. We’re the point people, the first link with reality in a collaborative, journalistic chain. Each of us is a single mind, a single sensibility – one pair of eyes and one pair of ears – one heart – moving through the real world in real time, to tell the stories of what happens to people, one-by-one, at the sharp end of history. We navigate dangers, endure hardships and get our hearts broken by what we witness, over and over again, because we believe that peoples’ opinions matter – that our society cannot function properly without the information we provide and without the stories we tell. Our work is aimed at our readers’ best instincts – generosity, compassion, a sense of right-and-wrong, a sense of identification with others – on a human level, across cultures, beyond the borders of nationality – and perhaps most importantly, the refusal to accept the unacceptable. We question the powerful. We hold decision-makers accountable. The chain we help forge links the people we encounter in the field to millions of other individual minds and sensibilities. And once mass consciousness evolves into a shared sense of conscience, change becomes not only possible; it becomes inevitable. ### James Nachtwey: 30 Years in TIME  From "Death as a Way of Life." June 14, 1993 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "Slaughter in Slow Motion." August 23, 1993 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "At the Dawn of Liberation." May 2, 1994 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "A Look into Hell." July 4, 1994 International issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey  From "A Look into Hell." July 4, 1994 International issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey  From "Death of a City." June 24, 1996 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey  From "Images." December 30, 1996 / January 6, 1997 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "Our Work, Our World." May 22, 2000 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey  From "Crimes Against Humanity." February 12, 2001 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "Crimes Against Humanity." February 12, 2001 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "Day of Infamy." September 14, 2001 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "Revenge Comes Calling." April 22, 2002 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "Untangling Jenin's Tale." May 13, 2002 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "Afghanistan Today." June 24, 2002 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "Afghanistan Today." June 24, 2002 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "The Palestinians: An Inside Look at Life in an Embattled Society." August 19, 2002 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "Awestruck." March 31, 2003 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "After the Fall." April 21, 2003 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "A Nation Under Siege." December 15, 2003 International issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "The Best Photographs of the Year." December 22, 2003 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "A Soldier's Life." December 29, 2003 / January 5, 2004 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey  From "Counting the Days." March 15, 2004 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "The Tragedy of Sudan." October 4, 2004 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "The Tragedy of Sudan." October 4, 2004 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "Saving 1 Life At a Time." November 7, 2005 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "The End of Poverty." March 14, 2005 International issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey  From "Saving 1 Life At a Time." November 7, 2005 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "Saving 1 Life At a Time." November 7, 2005 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "The Hidden Killers." June 5, 2006 issue ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "The Forgotten Plague." October 13, 2008 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "The Forgotten Plague." October 13, 2008 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "Out of the Ruins." February 8, 2010 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "Out of the Ruins." February 8, 2010 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "The Birds Of Hope: With A Black Hawk Medevac Unit In Afghanistan." January 17, 2011 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "The Birds Of Hope: With A Black Hawk Medevac Unit In Afghanistan." January 17, 2011 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "The Birds Of Hope: With A Black Hawk Medevac Unit In Afghanistan." January 17, 2011 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "The Day the Earth Moved." March 28, 2011 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "The Day the Earth Moved." March 28, 2011 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "The Poppy Poison." May 9, 2011 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "The Poppy Poison." May 9, 2011 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "When Terror Loses its Grip." May 20, 2011 issue ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "Drugged Out." May 30, 2011 International issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "The Day the Towers Fell." September 19, 2011 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "The Day the Towers Fell." September 19, 2011 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "Japan One Year Later." March 12, 2012 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "Japan One Year Later." March 12, 2012 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "A Day Of Hope Dawns." April 9, 2012 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "The Lessons of Bosnia." April 16, 2012 International issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "The Lessons of Bosnia." April 16, 2012 International issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME  From "No Home in Sight." February 3, 2014 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey  From "No Home in Sight." February 3, 2014 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey  From "Burma's Shame." July 21, 2014 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey  From "Burma's Shame." July 21, 2014 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey  From "Burma's Shame." July 21, 2014 issue. ©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey It’s a continuous struggle, never-ending, and we must always remain in the fight. The people whose stories we tell have not given up hope, even in the most dire circumstances. Why should anyone else give up hope for them? Millions of readers care about what happens in our world because we give them something to care about. But no matter how powerful the words or images might be, without bold and committed editors who share our sense of purpose and who give us space to tell our stories, we’re just howling in the wind. So, I want to take this moment to thank all of you for your support, your guidance, your professionalism, for wanting so much to get the story right, and for knowing that every story does not have to sell something, there’s also a time to give. [**_James Nachtwey_**](http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/ "undefined") _is a TIME contract photographer, documenting wars, conflicts and critical social issues._ _Read next:_ [_On the Set of Selma with James Nachtwey_](http://time.com/3654981/on-the-set-of-selma-with-james-nachtwey/?xid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3693061/james-nachtwey-receives-lifetime-achievement-award/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3693061/james-nachtwey-receives-lifetime-achievement-award/"},"headline":"James Nachtwey: How Photography Can Change the World","datePublished":"2015-02-03T17:05:01.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:41:41.208Z","description":"Watch the TIME photographer's moving acceptance speech as he receives the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Magazine Editors","url":"https://time.com/3693061/james-nachtwey-receives-lifetime-achievement-award/","keywords":["LightBox","TIME","war","photography","video","War Photography","James Nachtwey","Behind the Photos"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt72d967b594dff578/69877d5dcd1bbafdbc6f505e/nma_7907.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"James Nachtwey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/james-nachtwey/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt72d967b594dff578/69877d5dcd1bbafdbc6f505e/nma_7907.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"James Nachtwey receives Creative Excellence Award","caption":"James Nachtwey receives Creative Excellence Award","creditText":"Albert Chau—ASME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-lightbox/","name":"LightBox"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3693061/james-nachtwey-receives-lifetime-achievement-award/","name":"James Nachtwey: How Photography Can Change the World"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"A Look Back at James Nachtwey's Career","description":"TIME contract photographer James Nachtwey has spent the last 30 years on the frontlines","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/xXdV9cmT/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-02-03T15:58:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xXdV9cmT.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3693061/james-nachtwey-receives-lifetime-achievement-award/","duration":"PT5M18S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3693061/james-nachtwey-receives-lifetime-achievement-award/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```