Australian Photojournalist and Documentary Photographer John Wilson
Photographer John Wilson is a distinguished Australian photojournalist based in Queensland who has achieved fame working on assignment for international publication Time magazine and other international news publishers and TV broadcasters. Photojournalism and documentary photography has been a major part of his career nationally and internationally in 40 countries. His work as a national and state news and current affairs photographer is regularly featured in The Australian Newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, The Courier-Mail, and other leading newspapers throughout Australia. John's work as a TV Cameraman is seen on a variety of TV News, Current Affairs and TV Documentary productions.
John Wilson believes International Photojournalists and regional photographers alike remain crucial to our understanding of world events, whether the stories are from major international conflicts, disasters or intimate small-town narratives. He says that along with having the technical skills to make documentary photography, empathy and human connection play an enormous role in his work.
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Australian Photojournalist John Wilson on assignment in East Timor (right) sending images via satellite to Time Magazine
Acclaimed Photojournalism Career
As a Time Magazine and Australian photojournalist, John Wilson has worked internationally in 40 countries. His photography has graced the covers of Time Magazine and The Australian Newspaper. On international assignment, John has worked on stories relating to human rights, civil unrest, humanitarian and natural disasters working in some of the most difficult and closed communities around the world such as Somalia, Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Burundi, East Timor, Papua New Guinea to name a few.
CONTACT John - TEL: +61 0419716107 or EMAIL:
Photojournalist John Wilson on international assignments
Dangers of working as a News Photojournalist
Throughout his career as a news photojournalist, John Wilson has been confronted with life-threatening situations in the course of documenting stories. He has survived gunfire, explosions and detainment while documenting stories in civil war zones and areas of civil and ethnic conflict. Health issues as a result of working in remote locations and disaster zones have also presented life-threatening circumstances to John's work. He has had malaria 3 times, been quarantined in hospital with an undiagnosed illness and almost died from hypothermia along with other medical conditions that have occurred while documenting stories.
Strategic associations for successful photojournalism
On assignment as a photojournalist covering war and civil unrest, John Wilson has worked alongside a variety of defence and security forces including Australian Defence Force, US Special Forces, UN defence and peacekeeping forces, Timor Leste and the Indonesian military as well as Fijian, Philippine Marines, and many other state security services. Photographer John Wilson has gained notoriety as a war photographer in a number of war zones around the world including Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Southern Sudan, Somalia, East Timor, Southern Philippines.
In covering many international humanitarian disasters Australian photojournalist John Wilson has worked closely with a number of humanitarian aid agencies including the International Committee of the Red Cross, United Nations, Care, World Vision, and other agencies.
In Australia, photojournalist John Wilson has covered much news and breaking news stories. Natural disasters including cyclones, floods, droughts have featured in the documentary work conducted by John Wilson.
As a competent correspondent John Wilson has also filmed national and international news stories for broadcast TV networks including all major networks in Australia and several US networks.
John also provides live TV broadcasting services for a variety of national television programs.
Photojournalist John Wilson working as a TV cameraman for broadcast TV in Australia
Public Speaking Engagements and Workshops
Throughout his career, John has given talks to special interest groups, media students and workshops about working as an international photojournalist, adventure travel photography and general photography subjects. His talks are often free of charge but in some locations, some accommodation/meals fee or provision may be required. Contact John directly to discuss a workshop engagement - TEL: 0419716107 Email:
Media Industry Testimonials for photojournalist John Wilson
John Wilson has become one of the famous Australian Photojournalists through his work with high profile magazines and news publishers like Time Magazine, The Australian Newspaper, and a variety of Television Broadcasters, and high profile writers and correspondents.
Testimonial From Time Magazine Journalist Rory Callinan
"John Wilson has distinguished himself working for Time Magazine as a photojournalist and documentary photographer on many difficult and dangerous assignments.
In February 2006, he accompanied me to the Solomon Islands to investigate the widespread exploitation of youth by multi-national logging and fishing concerns. If reporting this story was difficult then gaining photographic evidence seemed almost impossible but to John's credit, he shot extraordinary images one of which became a cover shot for Time. He faced almost impossible shooting conditions, working at night, on moving boats and confronting hostile subjects in the crew members who were involved. On another, assignment John accompanied me to East Timor to document the country's fall into anarchy.
His work was utterly professional, visually spectacular and conducted in extreme and dangerous circumstances. During the period when rebels had encircled the capital Dili and were fighting with government troops, he was the first photographer to cross rebel lines and travel to the rebel headquarters where he took exclusive pictures of the rebel leader directing the battle. His images were of such high standard that they again were used on the cover of Time and received high commendation from the managing editor. John has the rare ability to read people and situations while at the same time utilizing the skills to get the shot that matters. The managing editor and I chose John for assignments at Time for his great skills not only in documentary and news photography but in the entire process of putting a magazine article to print and working in tough conditions with strict time constraints. I would have no hesitation in recommending John on any assignment. John Wilson is one of Australia’s leading and most accomplished photojournalists acquiring a level of fame in his field held by few others."
Testimonial From Australian Newspaper National Chief Correspondent Hedley Thomas
Fortunately, there are photojournalists like John Wilson. He thinks like a journalist about the story while at the same time he is complementing it with compelling images.
For several weeks in 2005, Wilson watched with unease while covering the growing scandal about Dr. Jayant Patel – an incompetent surgeon who had a history of negligence in the United States before being given a job at Bundaberg Hospital in Queensland Australia.
“When are we going to India to look at his background there?” Wilson asked.
“It’s the missing link. He spent half of his life in a little town in Gujarat state. I've been making calls, checking him out. We should be there” Wilson added.
It was Wilson’s enthusiasm and initiative that persuaded me and The Courier-Mail, the newspaper I worked for at the time, to travel to India on assignment with him.
Wilson is a professional photojournalist who positively thrives in a foreign environment.
He was unperturbed by the distractions of 40+ degrees Celsius heatwave, the abject poverty and the journey to the other side of Gujarat state, to Patel’s home town.
He took remarkable photographs there and showed respect and courtesy to the local people. As a photojournalist, John Wilson is the complete package, able to work as a team member under difficult and sometimes dangerous conditions for the success of the assignment. I look forward to our next assignment because with John Wilson, you’re on the same team.
Hedley Thomas,
National Chief Correspondent
The Australian Newspaper
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