
All photographs are copyrighted Jake Simkin and are being used with permission.
How do you find moments of humanity in sheer chaos? What do you do when you’re confronted with a situation where it’s better to help than take the photograph? These are some of the things Jake Simkin has to consider in any given situation he finds himself. A photographer and filmmaker, Simkin has worked in some of the heaviest conflicts in recent memory, from the war in Afghanistan to the ongoing war in Syria. He’s seen more than most people can handle, and yet he goes out to tell the stories that need to be told. It was the tsunami in 2004 that pulled him to Banda Aceh away from the commercial work he’d been doing up until that point. Since then he’s sought to tell stories of survival.
A selection of his photographs and the episode are below. If you’d like to see more of his work, you can visit his website and follow him on Instagram.
As always, our music is provided Yuki Futami, a New York-based jazz musician.











Get rid of the ads!
Did you enjoy reading this article as much as we enjoyed writing it? There's a way to support us and our reporting, getting ad-free navigation and more as a bonus. Subscribe to us for less than a coffee per month —just $3.99— or take advantage of our yearly subscription with a hefty discount for only $25.- An ad-free experience
- A free mystery box for Lightroom or Capture One
- All the books in our store
- 20% discount on Capture One
- 30% discount on Imalume Photo Theft Protection
- 20% off Herbs and Kettle Tea Company.