This Is War evolved out of my work as a photographer covering some of the bloodiest conflicts of the late 20th century. The imagery is not pretty, nor could it be. But seeing it—looking squarely at the misery delivered by leaders who promised to do good for their people—is important. More than that, refusing to see it, whether out of personal or political discomfort, is a form of misinformation.
In the 1980s and 1990s, I chronicled conflicts from El Salvador to Africa to the former Yugoslavia. Those images should remind us to work harder for peace and honour those who did not live to see it
I spent a decade as a war photographer, capturing conflicts from El Salvador to Africa to the former Yugoslavia. Far too many of those images could have been taken today
Over the course of her subsequent twelve year career as a photojournalist she covered more than a dozen of the world’s bloodiest armed conflicts across three continents and was honored with the Robert Capa gold medal; a World Press Club Award; a Pulitzer nomination; and the Courage in Journalism Award.
As the acclaimed American war photographer Corinne Dufka sorted through the pictures and negatives for her new book, This Is War: Photographs from a Decade of Conflict, covering more than a decade on frontlines from El Salvador to Bosnia and Liberia, she once again looked into the faces she had perhaps only registered briefly years ago.
The psychiatrist Anthony Feinstein explores this complexity in his book, “Shooting War” (Glitterati Editions). Starting with a single, striking image from each photographer, Dr. Feinstein profiles 18 conflict photographers, including Don McCullin, Tim Hetherington and Corinne Dufka, and examines their motivations, traumas, and, most important, their resilience.
MacArthur “genius” award winner Corinne Dufka spent a decade as a psychiatric social worker before becoming a Reuters photojournalist. She covered armed conflicts in 17 nations, including El Salvador, Sierra Leone and Bosnia. But it was inside a hotel room in Rwanda where she had an “epiphany” that compelled her to leave photojournalism at the height of her career.
