Irish photojournalist and Canon Ambassador Ivor Prickett spends extensive periods of time in the war zones he documents, producing hard-hitting yet quietly contemplative images showing conflict and its aftermath across the Middle East.

Although Ivor now works largely for the The New York Times, his work has appeared in a multitude of major magazines and newspapers, including The Sunday Times Magazine, Telegraph Magazine, Stern, GEO, and National Geographic. He has also exhibited his work in prestigious venues such as the National Portrait Gallery, The Getty Gallery, Side Gallery, The Annenberg Space for Photography, Sotheby's, and the Edinburgh International Festival. "In many ways my work has always sat somewhere between a more gallery-oriented style of documentary photography and photojournalism," Ivor says. "I think that is why it stands out and is in some way unique."

Ivor started in Damascus, Syria, and stayed for a year; then Beirut, Lebanon, for two years during the Arab Spring uprisings. Later came Egypt and then Libya, and all the while he was completing assignments for various newspapers and magazines, as well as personal projects. In 2012 Ivor relocated to Istanbul, Turkey, where he's been based ever since. From 2014 to 2016 his work has extensively chartered the plight of Syrian refugees, first in the Middle East, and later in Europe. Since 2016 he has worked exclusively for The New York Times covering the fight to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

"As soon as you set foot in a war zone your life is at risk," says Ivor, who has been in more than his fair share of dangerous situations. "Of course the risk within that environment varies hugely but it doesn't really matter; as soon as you are there, you are at risk. Most of the time if you have a close call the only reason you survive is because of pure luck. You can do certain things to mitigate the risk you expose yourself to, but at the end of day if a bullet or a mortar is coming your way there is little you can do about it."

With great risk has come great reward, as Ivor's work has been recognised with a bounty of international prizes including a first prize World Press Photo Contest award in the General News, Stories, category in 2018. This is in addition to citations in both the Pulitzers and Overseas Press Club awards, multiple Pictures of the Year International awards, The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, and The Ian Parry Scholarship.

But it's not adulation that drives him: "In the midst of conflict it is always civilians who bear the brunt of the violence and I am passionate about shedding light on what that means and how that affects people. On the front lines there often isn't a third party to witness what's going on, just the warring parties and the people caught in its midst. So it's vital to document what's going on or if it's years after the fact it's just as important, when the news has moved on, to highlight the struggles people are going through in the aftermath. This is what drives me. I have an obligation to be a conduit for people's stories when they have no other way of telling the world."

Once in an area of conflict, how do you decide where to go and what to shoot?

"I first evaluate what the key elements for the story I want to tell are. I am usually interested in the civilian aspect of a conflict, so will look for the best ways to cover that element of the story. That informs my decision making process on where to go and what to do. Usually that requires being embedded with a military force in order to get to the places where civilians are trapped or trying to flee from."

What effect do you hope your work has on people?

"My first aim when covering a conflict is to act as a documentarian to create an unbiased record of what is going on, particularly the effect the war is having on civilians caught in its midst. That is something I know I can do and have control over. What that achieves is in many ways up to the viewer."

How concerned are you for your safety?

"I worry every minute when I am working in a conflict situation. It would be crazy if I didn't. It's important to listen to that worry because that is your natural limitation kicking in. If I am incredibly worried about a certain situation, it usually is for a good reason and that means I won't move forward. The challenge is to be constantly aware of that fear and decide how far you can push it. I only choose to continue working in conflict zones now while working for The New York Times because as an organisation they support me fully on the ground and we follow very strict protocols in order to mitigate the risk."

How do you cope with witnessing atrocities?

"It is important to take time off in the wake of a tough assignment to relax and let your mind rest. It can be very hard and requires a lot of discipline to get into a healthy routine when you come home. I do it with plenty of exercise, lots of sleep and eating well."

One Thing I Know
Ivor Prickett

"In the midst of conflict it's hard not to be compelled by what you see. The challenge is to be able to have the clarity of vision and remain calm in order to be able to translate what it feels like to be there and to get people's stories across. It takes a lot of practice but when you are at that point, your skills as a photographer should automatically kick in and instead of worrying about technical things, you just use your heart and your eyes to see what the most compelling aspects of a certain scene are. So ultimately it is more important to be emotionally connected to the story than be a technically good photographer."