When Documentation Becomes Courage
A Conversation with Ashley Gilbertson on The Courage Effect podcast
When your own country starts to resemble the conflict zones you’ve spent a career documenting — what do you do? That was the thread we followed in my recent conversation with Ashley Gilbertson on The Courage Effect. It’s a conversation that’s lingered with me — not just for what Ash has seen, but for the weight he chooses to carry.
Ashley is an award-winning photojournalist whose work has taken him from war-torn cities in Iraq and Afghanistan, across Europe and the US covering refugee crises, to the eerily familiar chaos of the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. He’s captured headlines. History. But what strikes me most about our conversation wasn't just the gravity of what he's witnessed, but his unwavering commitment to showing us what we might prefer not to see.
Finding Magic in the Darkness
When Ashley talks about photography, he calls it "black magic" — that inexplicable moment when a single image captures something far greater than what's in the frame. He discovered this magic at 13, wanting to photograph himself skateboarding in Australia, only to realize he needed to turn the camera outward. That instinct — curiosity paired with deep empathy — has fueled his work ever since.
"The harder the work is, the better the work will be," he told me, reflecting on his devastating project Bedrooms of the Fallen — intimate portraits of the preserved bedrooms of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's work that still brings him to tears, but also work that reaches people in ways traditional war photography cannot.
When Heroes Stand Alone
We talked about January 6th, 2021. About how Ashley found himself among the first people to breach the U.S. Capitol. In that chaos, he witnessed something extraordinary: Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, alone, facing down a mob wielding Confederate flags.
“One man holds them up for long enough to save the Vice President of America, Nancy Pelosi, and senators” Ashley recounted.
Goodman's restraint — his decision not to draw his weapon — may have prevented a massacre that could have fundamentally altered our democracy. Goodman didn’t reach for his weapon. His restraint — his presence — might have prevented catastrophe. It was courage, embodied. And Ashley’s camera didn’t flinch. He documented it not knowing how the narrative might shift with time, only that the truth needed to be preserved.
Reimagining How We See
What fascinates me about Ashley's approach is his constant evolution as a storyteller. When photography begins feeling repetitive, he finds new ways to personalize it and make it impossible to ignore. So he’s shifting — playing with vertical formats, aligning his work to where we’re actually looking: our phones. It's not a gimmick. It’s evolution. It’s about meeting people where they are, and refusing to let the stories that matter get lost in the scroll.
The Everyday Work of Not Looking Away
Living in New York, Ashley continues documenting change — neighborhoods transforming, communities evolving, the constant churn of a city that never stops moving. His lens finds quieter moments. But don’t mistake quiet for easy. He’s noticing. Documenting. Staying present. Having the courage to pay attention when it would be easier to look away.
As we wrapped our conversation, Ashley mentioned wanting to promote "common sense." Said as a joke, but landing with surprising weight. In a time when we're "considering things with our hearts" more than our heads, his call for rational thought feels both radical and necessary.
Our Responsibility as Witnesses
What stays with me most from our conversation is Ashley's reminder that in a democracy, we all hold the responsibility of bearing witness. We don’t get to outsource the hard stuff. Whether it’s the brutal reality of war, the fragility of peace, or the quieter cracks in our communities — we are all part of the story.
And in the end, “the photographs will stand”, as Ashley said. The real question? What will we do with what they show us?
Curious to learn more?
🔵 See more of Ashley Gilbertson's work here and follow him on Instagram
🔵 Ashley’s work for of January 6th at the United States Capitol for The New York Times
🔵 Ashley’s books Whisky Tango Foxtrot and Bedrooms of the Fallen
🔵 Learn more about VII Foundation
For more information about me and Weller Collaboration, check out what my clients say on our website.
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