Capturing the faces of humanity

The only photojournalist to be honoured with four Pulitzer Prizes, 63-year-old former nurse Carol Guzy was in Hyderabad for the Indian Photo Festival 2019. Guzy, who won her first Pulitzer back in 1986, has seen pain up close while tending to patients and gone on to capture the pain of people in times of conflict, war and disasters through her lens.

“I prefer to work in black and white. It is easy to portray pain through colour pictures. But doing the same through black and white is tough. I always prefer doing tough things first in life,” says Guzy, who served as staff photographer at The Washington Post till 2014.

Guzy received her fourth Pulitzer for her searing coverage of the Haitian earthquake in 2010. Previously, she had been honoured twice with the Pulitzer for Breaking News and Spot News Photography for her coverage of the military intervention in Haiti and the devastating mudslide in Armero, Colombia.  She received a third Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for her work in Kosovo.

“Given the seriousness of an accident victim, helping him or her should be the first priority. If you don’t, then you are considered insensitive. A good photojournalist understands where to draw the line. Whatever fits in that situation should be done. Photojournalists are good instant thinkers. Given an opportunity, they must exhibit both humanity and professional duty,” she says.

All of Guzy’s works speak for themselves – especially those that capture war, conflict, natural calamities and disasters in Haiti, Rwanda and the Gulf Coast. Sharing her knowledge, wisdom and vast experience, she says, “Photojournalism tells a story through the visual medium. One photograph is equal to a thousand words, it is said. Pictures can thus, inform readers about what is happening around the world, and be understood despite language barriers.”