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: 

Recommended Videos

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). 

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…
How to get verified on Instagram Threads
A verified account on Instagram Threads.

Like Twitter and Instagram, Instagram Threads allows users to become verified to confirm their identities and access some exclusive features. Similar to Twitter's verification process, you'll need to pay a monthly fee to be verified on Threads, so keep that price in mind as you get your verified Threads account set up.

So, without further ado, here's how to get verified on Instagram Threads in a few straightforward steps.

Read more
How to remove location data from your iPhone photos
How to transfer photos from an iPhone to an iPhone

We all love making memories, and a great way to collect those memories is to take a quick snap of a gorgeous landscape, a party in full swing, or a particularly incredible meal. The Apple iPhone now also adds a location to your pictures, meaning it can collate those images together into a location-themed album, or show you all the shots you've taken in a specific location. It's a fun little addition, and it's one that adds a lot of personality to the Photos app.

Read more
‘Photoshopped’ royal photo causes a stir
The Princess of Wales with her children.

[UPDATE: In a message posted on social media on Monday morning, Princess Kate said that she herself edited the image, and apologized for the fuss that the picture had caused. “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she wrote, adding, "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused."]

Major press agencies have pulled a photo of the U.K.’s Princess of Wales and her children amid concerns that it has been digitally manipulated.

Read more