"[Cameras] are only tools. It's the people in the
pictures and those who view them that are important."
My last post discussed an artist who studied for his chosen career,
only to find himself in a different line of work and loving it…and being very
good at it.
Carol Guzy is another such a one: she is a nurse-turned-world-famous-photographer!
How did this come about? Well, halfway through nurse
training, Guzy received a gift certificate for a photography course and discovered
that cameras ignited her passion in a way nothing else could. So, after
completing her medical program, she switched her energies toward a photography internship
at the Miami Herald. After working at
the Herald for a number of years she
moved to the Washington Post to cover
foreign and domestic news, and has since travelled the world, taking memorable
photos and gaining a following.
In the last 25 years, Guzy has covered events in Kosovo,
Rwanda, Mali, India, East Germany and more. She has caught scenes of plight
such as the exodus of refugees, Mother Teresa’s funeral and abandoned pets of
Hurricane Katrina. Some of her awards include several Pulitzer Prizes and
Photographer of the Year Awards, and as well as National Press Photographers
Association for Best of Photojournalism. Her techniques include not missing an
image by waiting to set things up. She often quickly clicks the shutter on a
hunch without making sure that all elements are perfect. She says imperfections can be fixed, but that
there is no solution for missing the moment.
Guzy’s talent appears to lie in the fact that her images
tell stories even in the absence of words.
Her photographs don’t just supplement newspaper articles – it’s as if
the newspaper texts supplement her images. Take a look below at some of her
incredible shots. Some of these events were difficult for Guzy to see and photograph,
but she believes her previous nurse training has given her the experience and
empathy to follow through and be present at difficult times in human lives. She
says: “There’s a quote I love. It goes: ‘Tell me, I’ll forget. Show me, I may
remember. Involve me, I’ll understand.’” She believes it’s important that
everyone knows what’s going on in the world.
