The photographer who helped inspire Anderson Cooper to become a journalist

“There are many ways of telling stories, but a still photo has a power that is unlike anything else,” 60 Minutes correspondent Anderson Cooper said to renowned war photographer James Nachtwey.

For more than 40 years, James Nachtwey has used his camera to show humanity a reflection of itself, often photographing war scenes and reporting from areas of conflict. At 75, he still photographing and on Sunday was profiled on 60 Minutes by Anderson Cooper.

“I think it has real social value. That before we can solve problems, we have to identify them,” Nachtwey told 60 Minutes while describing what keeps him working. “And I think the work of journalists and of photojournalists is to identify issues that need to be dealt with by society.”

Nachtwey showed Cooper dozens of photos from his archive that document everything from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam. 

“Without a doubt you have been the person who made me interested in wanting to do this line of work,” Cooper told Nachtwey. 

Cooper told 60 Minutes Overtime that Nachtwey’s work is a reminder of how important, beautiful and moving journalism can be.

You can watch Anderson Cooper’s profile on James Nachtwey below.

The video at the top was produced by Keith Zubrow and edited by Sarah Shafer Prediger.