Larry Towell


Larry Towell is a Canadian photographer, poet, and oral historian. Towell is known for his photographs of sites of political conflict in Ukraine, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Standing Rock and Afghanistan, among others. In 1988, Towell became the only Canadian member of Magnum Photos.

Early life and education

Towell was born in 1953, in Chatham-Kent, Ontario and grew up in a large family in rural Ontario, attending local schools. He studied visual arts at York University in Toronto, where his interest in photography first began. One of his teachers at York University was Tim Whiten, the acclaimed contemporary artist.

Life and work

In 1976, Towell volunteered to work in Calcutta, India, where he became interested in questions about the distribution of wealth and issues of land and landlessness. Returning to Canada, he taught folk music and wrote poetry during the 1980s.
Towell became a freelance photographer in 1984. Towell's photographic projects are often long-form investigative pieces; this format allows him to connect with the subjects he depicts. His early work included a project on the Contra war in Nicaragua, in which he met civilians who the United States-backed Contras had persecuted, including landmine victims. He also photographed the civil war in El Salvador, American Vietnam War veterans who worked to rebuild Vietnam, and relatives of the "disappeared" in Guatemala - those presumed murdered by Guatemalan security forces. His book House on Ninth Street is a collection of his photos taken in Guatemala during this time.
In 1988, Towell joined the Magnum Photos agency, becoming the only Canadian associated with the group. His first magazine essay looked at the ecological damages from the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He has since had picture essays published in The New York Times, ''Life, Rolling Stone, and other magazines. His work has included documentation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Mennonite migrant workers in Mexico, and a personal project on his family's farm in southern Ontario.
From 2008 to 2011, Towell traveled five times to Afghanistan to photograph the social effects of the Afghan civil war. Between 2013 and 2015, he photographed the above and underground construction work in Toronto's Union Station. In 2015, his photo Isaac's first swim was published by Canada Post'' as a stamp. In 2016, Towell photographed the Standing Rock protest in Standing Rock, North Dakota.
He works in both film and digital photography formats. He has said "Black and white is still the poetic form of photography. Digital is for the moment; black and white is an investment of time and love." He has also worked with panoramic cameras to document the impact of natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.
Towell has published books of photographs, poetry, and oral history. He has also recorded several audio CDs of original poetry and songs.

Personal life

Towell lives in rural Lambton County, and sharecrops a 75-acre farm with his wife Ann and their four children.

Publications