War Photographers Documenting Conflicts and Preserving Historical Narratives

War photography plays a pivotal role in documenting conflict, providing both historicalrecords and shaping public perception. Despite its historical significance, limited research hasfocused on the emotional and cognitive effects of war images on public opinion and their role incontemporary media. This study bridges that gap by examining the work of prominent warphotographers, including Vakhtang Egiazarov, through a mixed-method approach. Contentanalysis of selected war photographs was conducted to identify recurring themes, while expertinterviews and a quantitative survey assessed the emotional and cognitive responses of 200participants. Findings revealed that war photographs evoke strong emotions such as sadness, anger, and empathy, with close-up images of civilians eliciting the most intense reactions. Survey results also indicated that 67% of participants view war photographers as neutral observers, though a significant portion (33%) expressed concern about the potential for manipulation. These findingssuggest that while war photography remains a powerful tool for raising awareness and documenting history, the risk of desensitization due to overexposure requires careful ethicalconsiderations. Future research should explore strategies to maintain the impact of warphotography while minimizing desensitization in a rapidly evolving media landscape.