How the world conducts itself

How the world conducts itself is the theme of iWITNESS, Tom Stoddart’s heart-breaking photographic documentation of the world we live in. The book is a compendium of storytelling, humanitarian effort and creativity in photography. Some of the photographs are so powerful that they may bring tears to your eyes. Whether it’s Gujarat, Rwanda, Sarajevo, Malawi, USA or Sudan, Stoddart has been there to capture the moment and tell his story.

The publishers of iWITNESS, Trolley Books, introduce the book as “an intensely personal view by an observer who refuses to believe that human beings can only exist in conflict with one another and the environment they inhabit.” Makes me want to fill Stoddart’s shoes – but I’m simply not capable.

www.irish-photography.com writes: The images present a moving tribute to the dignity and courage of ordinary people who find themselves in terrible situations through no fault of their own. As Stoddart says: “The people portrayed in the photographs are heroes: innocent people trapped and battered by circumstances beyond their control.”

He adds: “Most of the events chronicled here can be attributed directly to mankind's greed, intolerance, prejudice, inhumanity, lust for political power, and sheer stupidity... Don't feel sorry when you look at these pictures – feel angry that we need to be reminded of such folly. It is sad but necessary that these photographs exist.”

Jean-Francois Leroy, whose text accompanies Stoddart’s photographs in iWITNESS, presents another perspective to Stoddart’s work in an essay, The Pride of Being a Witness, which is worth reading, but words are no match for Stoddart’s photographs.

Some of Tom Stoddart's epic B&W photographs from iWITNESS can be seen here, thanks to The Digital Journalist.