Giles Duley began his career as a fashion photographer. When it was time for a change he found himself on a journey of war and hardship.
Why you should listen
Giles was a photographer who, some years ago, tired of celebrity photoshoots and the attendant egos and tantrums that often accompanied them. He flung his camera on the photoshoot bed and it bounced out the window into the streets of SoHo, London. At that point he decided to change course and dedicated himself to using his camera to "tell unheard stories of those caught in conflict and economic hardship around the world." His work took him to Sudan, Angola, Ukraine and Bangladesh, among other places. Early in 2011, on assignment in Afghanistan, Duley stepped on a landmine. Despite the fact that the horrific accident left Duley a triple amputee, he continues to dedicate his life to telling stories through photography.
What others say
Do you ever have one of those mornings, when you just can't be bothered to put your legs on?
Giles Duley’s TED Talk
More news and ideas from Giles Duley
Arts + Design
Gallery: An intimate look at two Syrian refugee families
February 16, 2017
Life -- and love -- in limbo, as captured in these poignant images from photographer Giles Duley.
Continue readingIn Brief
The mind of a murderer, saving the earth’s soil and how we might be shaping human evolution
March 27, 2015
The stars of your favorite TED Talks have been busy over the past week. Below, a few newsy highlights. Inside the mind of a murderer. What makes murderers do what they do? A BBC piece revealed that some murderers have reduced activity in their prefrontal cortex, which controls emotional impulses, and over-activity in their amygdala, […]
Continue readingIdeas
Giles Duley launches “100 Portraits Before I Die”
August 7, 2013
“The thing about the intensive care unit is that the lights never go off and the noise is constant,” says photographer Giles Duley. He should know. After he stepped on an IED while on assignment in Afghanistan in 2011, he spent 46 days in intensive care in a hospital in his native United Kingdom. Forty-six […]
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