PHOTOGRAPHER’S JOURNEY.com

I stumbled onto the images of a professional photographer by the name of Jehad Nga. It’s extraordinary.

I’ve always been a sucker for powerful photojournalism. Images that tell a story, with human characters, always seem more powerful to me than virtually any other kind of photography. And believe me, I love abstracts, portraits, landscapes — you name it. Of course, this bias probably reflects my background as a journalist, since I’ve been a reporter and network television news producer for nearly 15 years now (local television before that).

I think what strikes me most about Nga’s powerful gallery is his amazing use of light. Light is to photography what water is to life. And it is very rare to find a photographer whose mastery of light is so compelling. Ansel Adams was famous for his understanding of light, of course, in the landscape setting. And his images are powerful to this day because he understood that the right light made all the difference in the world. It can take a great deal of patience when doing landscape photography waiting for the right light. But when it comes… it’s worth it.

Rarer, I think is the artist who does not do landscape photographs who is such a complete master of light. And to me, Nga stands out for this reason, among others. He has photographed for the New York Times and other major news organizations and his images always seem to capture a certain poignancy of thought. When I look at his photographs, I see humble souls fighting against the indignities of life. The message — to me — is not degrading or depressing. It is uplifting. In a way, a glimpse at the human spirit. And the light puts the focus right where it should be: on those human souls.

We don’t all have to be photojournalists to learn something from his photography.

Please check out some of his images. I think you will agree it is quite amazing.

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