Met someone in Bangkok...

出会い・・・


ついに、ある男性に出会いました。。。
待ち焦がれていたこの出会い。。。。


残念ながら結婚相手ではないですが、
Mr. James Nachtwey　　


私が大好きなフォトジャーナリスト。
オフィスの近くのスーパーマーケットで買い物をしてたら、同じく買い物中。


DCで人権NGOで働いていたときに見た彼のドキュメンタリー「War Photographer」
どこか悲しげな、でも物腰やわらかな彼の語り口が印象的だった。


本物も、ドキュメンタリーの通り、静かでSoft spoken。スーパーマーケットで彼のプライバシーに介入する私に、かなり丁寧で親切な対応。（ヨーグルトはブルーべりーソース入りが好きらしい。。。。）


彼の作品は、彼のSoft-spokenさからは想像ができないほど、パワフルです。
彼の写真をみるだけで、紛争・貧困といった情勢にとてつもない怒りがわいてくる。


彼に会ったこのオフィスの近くのスーパーマーケット、このごろかなり頻繁に通い中。。。若干ストーカー？

I met someone...

I met someone at the supermarket!!!
He is very kind.... single, too.

"He" is James Nachtwey, a photo journalist. (unfortunately not my soul mate..... but i'm such a big fun, you know...)


I really love his photographs. I fell in love with his works and his work-style even more after I saw a documentary film about him several years ago. His works, being so powerful, make you assume that he would be one of those people with lots of emotions, running around the world waving a flag of justice, preaching people "good" and "bad." However, Nacktwey in the film was a very modest, quiet person, who cared so much about people in his photos and their acceptance of him.

The real Nachtwey that I met in the supermarket is also soft spoken and modest, really quiet, but very warm and kind.


When I saw the film, I was working for a NGO doing human rights work targeting genocidal events that was taking place in some parts of Africa. I was struggling with the work, because keeping death counts day after day was becoming mentally difficult, which also made me doubt if I could continue pursuing my career in this field. As the unimaginable events continued, and facing with my (as well as the world's) inability to do anything about it, I was starting to believe that ignorance might be a beautiful thing.

During that time, his photographs gave me enough anger to push me forward and to continue pursuing my career so that I could join others in making a difference in this unequal world (ah.....I mean.. some days... just be patient! i'm getting there!!!..).. Even today, when I have a really bad day at work, or when I feel "lost" of what I want to do with my life, I look at his photographs to motivate myself.



I really wonder where in this very quiet man comes the power of his photographs.
Anyway, he told me that he will have an exhibition in Bangkok around November... ... can't wait!!!
Until then, I go shop at the supermarket in search of my hero...

Did I mention that he is single?