--- description: To celebrate James Nachtwey’s 30 years as a contract photographer for TIME, we have organized an exhibit of 54 layouts that have appeared in the... title: James Nachtwey: 30 Years in TIME image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte69535b5d676daf3/69877d612dce015b3c9dd56a/hand_burkha_jn_photoville_140911.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&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: 30 Years in TIME by [James Nachtwey](/author/james-nachtwey/) ## James Nachtwey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 18, 2014 8:00 AM CUT  From "The Best Photographs of the Year." December 22, 2003 issue. From "The Best Photographs of the Year." December 22, 2003 issue.©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME by [James Nachtwey](/author/james-nachtwey/) ## James Nachtwey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 18, 2014 8:00 AM CUT _To celebrate James Nachtwey’s 30 years as a contract photographer for TIME, we have organized an exhibit of 54 layouts that have appeared in the magazine featuring his work from Chechnya to Somalia and from Afghanistan to Burma, along with a series of his powerful, previously unpublished photographs. Below, James Nachtwey, and TIME’s Managing Editor Nancy Gibbs, reflect on the relationship between photographer and publication._ Any worthwhile, long-term relationship is built on integrity, trust, caring and a common purpose, and those are the elements that have characterized my 30-year relationship with TIME. Working in the field in difficult circumstances, there are many things to be concerned about, from logistics to survival, but the ultimate goal is to get the story right. Knowing that the people who publish the pictures are just as motivated by that as I am means everything. Every image on these walls is the result of teamwork. I happened to be the point man, but the support, guidance and inspiration I have received for so many years have made this work possible, and I want to thank all my colleagues at TIME from the bottom of my heart. — _James Nachtwey_  Genya Savilov—AFP/Getty Images Genya Savilov—AFP/Getty Images **_TIME’s exhibition at Photoville._** James Nachtwey has spent his life in the places people most want to avoid: war zones and refugee camps, the city flattened by an earthquake or a terrorist attack, the village swallowed by a flood. A Massachusetts native and graduate of Dartmouth, Jim worked in the merchant marine and as a truck driver while he taught himself photography. His assignments for TIME, where he is in his 30th year, have taken him around the world multiple times. There is a particular art to capturing the places where pain presides. Pain is the most private experience, but its causes demand public accounting. It’s exactly when you want to look the other way that Jim’s images bring you back, command attention and invite understanding. — _Nancy Gibbs_ **_James Nachtwey: 30 Years in TIME_** _runs from September 18 to 28, 2014_ _and is part of_ [_Photoville_](http://www.photoville.com/ "undefined")_, an outdoor photography exhibition in Brooklyn, New York._ [**_James Nachtwey_**](http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/ "undefined") _is a TIME contract photographer,_ _documenting wars, conflicts and critical social issues._ **_Nancy Gibbs_** _is Managing Editor of 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 ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3693784/james-nachtwey-30-years-in-time/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3693784/james-nachtwey-30-years-in-time/"},"headline":"James Nachtwey: 30 Years in TIME","datePublished":"2014-09-18T08:00:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:41:41.105Z","description":"To celebrate James Nachtwey’s 30 years as a contract photographer for TIME, we have organized an exhibit of 54 layouts that have appeared in the...","url":"https://time.com/3693784/james-nachtwey-30-years-in-time/","keywords":["LightBox","Africa","Afghanistan","Iraq","Japan","TIME","Gaza and the West Bank","photography","9/11","Burma","Sudan","Aids","Haiti","Rwanda","bosnia","portfolio","James Nachtwey"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte69535b5d676daf3/69877d612dce015b3c9dd56a/hand_burkha_jn_photoville_140911.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/blte69535b5d676daf3/69877d612dce015b3c9dd56a/hand_burkha_jn_photoville_140911.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"hand_burkha_jn_photoville_140911","caption":"From \"The Best Photographs of the Year.\" December 22, 2003 issue.","creditText":"©TIME/Photograph by James Nachtwey for TIME","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/3693784/james-nachtwey-30-years-in-time/","name":"James Nachtwey: 30 Years in TIME"}}]}] ```