Slate Daily Feed Death, Sex & Money | A War Photographer on the Limits of Bearing Witness
Oct 7, 2025
Peter van Agtmael, a renowned photojournalist and author of "Look at the U.S.A.: A Diary of War and Home," explores the complexities of war photography. He reflects on his disillusionment with iconic images and their real impact. Peter shares intimate stories about embedding with soldiers and the emotional toll of covering conflicts. He also discusses his shift towards documenting veterans and the ethical dilemmas of capturing deeply personal moments, including unexpected uses of his work in unexpected contexts.
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Photos Are Symbols, Not Causes
- Peter van Agtmael realized iconic war images don't by themselves cause change; they symbolically appear when change is ready.
- He learned the conditions for mobilizing society around images simply weren't present in post-9/11 conflicts.
How His First Iraq Embed Began
- Peter described emailing the U.S. military public affairs officer to request two months embedded with an infantry unit in Baghdad.
- He got a permission letter and flew to Kuwait two weeks later to begin his first Iraq deployment.
Living With Soldiers, Seeing The Disconnect
- On patrols he bonded with young U.S. soldiers yet felt a professional distance to maintain journalistic neutrality.
- Over time cognitive dissonance grew as strategies seemed disconnected from on-the-ground reality.
