Skip to main content

7 of the most captivating photojournalists on Instagram capturing conflict zones

Instagram photojournalists
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Instagram is gaining a more prominent role in reporting what’s going on around the world, including remote areas and conflict zones. Journalists, especially photojournalists, are using the photo-sharing app to share their correspondences with the world. This behavior is raising valid ethical concerns … but it’s also producing some fascinating snapshots, and following some of these newsmakers on Instagram is a good way to fold some global awareness into your Feed. 

Here are five of the most interesting journalists on Instagram: 

David Guttenfelder 

David Guttenfelder is the AP’s chief Asia photographer, and he has special access to the DPRK. He captures photos through his iPhone and shares them on Instagram, and they’re a compelling mix of mundane, day-to-day life tinged by an underlying sense of deep isolation. Guttenfelder’s camera doesn’t excessively Other the North Koreans it captures, but hones in on their humanity, which makes our inability to connect with them without a foreign filter all the more upsetting. 

Michael Christopher Brown

Michael Christopher Brown doesn’t shy away from conflict zones. The photographer was injured while documenting the Libyan war, and regularly ventures into areas of upheaval to capture what happens on the ground and continues to document the day to day lives of residents in the war-torn country. 

Ben Lowy

Ben Lowy is a photojournalist who started his career covering the Iraq War, and his work has appeared as part of the SAVE DARFUR media campaign. While his more recent Instagram activity is set capturing New York, his haunting portrayal of Iraq and Afghanistan – he even held an exhibit for his Instagram and Hipstamatic images from this time. 

Phil Moore

Phil Moore is a freelancer specializing in East Africa, and his Instagram feed goes through phases of loveliness and terror depending on where he is — when he’s not in the war zone, he captures the beauty of the everyday, but when he ventures into areas of conflict, he highlights the human plight of soldiers.

Marcus Bleasdale 

Marcus Bleasdale is a photographer for National Geographic who focuses on human rights and has been awarded many times over for his work. While he’s traveled the world – and documented many conflict zones – his latest Instagrams are coming out of the Democratic Republic of Congo, telling the stories of fleeing villagers and child soldiers. 

Ed Kashi 

Ed Kashi is a photojournalist and filmmaker who focuses on social and political issues. His Instagram includes a great deal of variety, including images from a stint in Nigeria while he was filming a documentary. 

Randy Olson

Randy Olson is a documentary photography who has a long history working with National Geographic. In addition to using Instagram to shoot the violence in Turkana, Kenya, he’s also documented the people in a beautiful way, making his account a great one to follow (though go in knowing there are only a handful of photos to flip through). 

Editors' Recommendations

Kate Knibbs
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kate Knibbs is a writer from Chicago. She is very happy that her borderline-unhealthy Internet habits are rewarded with a…
No yolk! A photo of an egg has become the most-liked post on Instagram
a photo of an egg has become the most liked post on instagram

A news item involving eggs almost always features numerous puns that try to eggspress the story in a clever way. But it's overly easy to embark on such hennoying nonsense, and can be un oeuf to scramble a reader's brain. With that in mind, we'll do the right thing here and refrain from cracking any egg-related yolks.

So, on with the story. Yes, it's an about an egg. An egg that's become really popular on Instagram. In fact, in the space of just over a week, a photo of the aforementioned egg has become the most-liked post on the photo-sharing app, with more than 21 million people having so far hit the heart button to show their love for the oval-shaped object.

Read more
#ThrowbackThursday is only the start: Instagram hashtags for every day of the week
instagram multiple accounts ios keyboard app take pictures photos pics

Let's face it, humans are down for any excuse to take a photo of themselves. Whether it's a filtered photo of a couple on vacation or the blatant thirst for likes that is the selfie, Instagram is the ideal platform to participate in this embarrassing -- albeit ubiquitous -- behavior. Of course, you don't have to take selfies -- food, latte art, and cats are also acceptable subjects. Whatever you shoot, Instagram hashtags can help draw more followers and increase the chances of that next, endorphin-releasing like, and sticking a strict regimen of popular daily hashtags will keep you on your toes and ensure your posts stay current in your followers' feeds.

Even the greenest of Instagrammers know about #ThrowbackThursday, but how about #WineWednesday or #FashionFriday? Here are some go-to hashtags for every day of the week that you may not yet know about. (And if you're already lost, read the complete guide to hashtags first.)

Read more
How to get more followers on Instagram
Up your 'gram game: Here's how to get more Instagram followers
how to get more followers on Instagram Instagram login screen

Further reading

How to use Instagram like a pro
How to download Instagram photos
How to link Instagram to Facebook

Read more