Ashley Gilbertson

Ashley Gilbertson (born January 22, 1978) is an award-winning photographer best known for his images of the Iraq war.

Gilbertson was born in Melbourne, Australia where he started his career at thirteen taking pictures of skateboarders. After graduating secondary school, he was mentored by Filipino photographer Emmanuel Santos, and later Masao Endo in the Japanese highlands.

While he was based in Australia, Gilbertson worked on socially driven photo essays ranging from drug addiction in Melbourne to war zones in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. In 1999 he photographed Kosovar refugees who had been granted temporary safe haven in Australia. For the next three years Gilbertson's work focused on various refugee problems across the globe.

In 2002, Gilbertson travelled to the Kurdish enclave of Northern Iraq. Shortly thereafter, President George W. Bush made a case for war in Iraq, and Gilbertson travelled back to cover the story at the beginning of 2003. His work was published widely, and one of his images from the invasion was included in Time magazines "Pictures of the year" special. Since then, Gilbertson has spent much of his time in Iraq, covering the war on contract for The New York Times.

A photographic memoir of Gilbertson's time in Iraq entitled "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" was published by the University of Chicago Press in the fall of 2007.

Gilbertson lives with his wife in New York City.

Awards and Nominations

Finalist (with Joanna Gilbertson), Written Press Trophy, Prix Bayeux-Calvados, 2007
Finalist, The Walkley Awards (Australia), 2006
Winner, Robert Capa Gold medal, Overseas Press Club of America (New York), 2005
Participant, Joop Swart Masterclass, World Press Photo (Amsterdam), 2005
Finalist, Photo District News Photo Annual, (New York), 2005
Finalist, I.C.P. Infinity Award, (New York), 2005
Leica/CCP documentary awards (Melbourne), 2005
Winner, Photographer of the year, National Photo Awards (Minnesota), 2004
Winner, Photo District News "30 under 30", 2004
Leica/CCP documentary awards (Melbourne), 2003

Exhibitions

Centre Georges-Pompidou (Paris)
The Museum of Contemporary photography (Chicago)
Williams College Museum of Art (Williamstown)
The State Library of Victoria (Melbourne)
Centre for Contemporary Photography (Melbourne)
Australian Centre for Photography (Sydney)
Chelsea market (New York)
Arti et Amicitiae (Amsterdam)
Milan Triennale (Milan)

External links

* [http://www.ashleygilbertson.com Ashley Gilbertson's official web page]
* [http://www.wtfiraq.org/ Website for the book Whiskey Tango Foxtrot] including a video interview with Gilbertson
* [http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2005/04/gilbertson.html Robert Capa Gold Medal]
* [http://www.pdngallery.com/cobrand/nikonnet/ontheroad/iraq/index.html On The Road article]
* [http://www.vqronline.org/articles/2007/summer/gilbertson-last-photographs/ Last Photographs]
* [http://www.newstatesman.com/200711010029 Iraq uncovered: a photo essay by Ashley Gilbertson]