Giles Duley

Giles Duley is a photographer, writer and CEO of the charity Legacy of War Foundation. Born in London in 1971, Duley was as a successful fashion and music photographer for ten years during the nineties, working for such publications as GQ, Vogue and Select Magazine. However, having become disillusioned with celebrity culture, he decided to abandon photography and left London to begin work as a full-time carer. In 2005, he returned to photography to document the work of NGOs focusing on the stories of those affected by conflict across the world. In 2010, Duley was nominated for an Amnesty International Media Award and he was a winner at the Prix de Paris (both 2010 and 2012) In 2011, whilst working in Afghanistan, Duley was to “become the story” after he stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), losing both his legs and left arm. His first project, In October 2012, took him back to Afghanistan to complete his original assignment. His return was the feature of documentary, Walking Wounded: Return to the Frontline, which has since won the Association for International Broadcasting (AIB) Award for Best International Current Affairs Documentary (2013) and the Foreign Press Association (FPA) Award for TV Documentary Story of the Year (2013).

His TEDx talk was voted one of the top ten TED talks of 2012. He is best known for his project Legacy of War that documents the long-term impact of conflict. This project has led to numerous collaborations including with the musicians PJ Harvey and Massive Attack. In 2017, inspired by the stories of those he meet through his work, Duley founded the charity Legacy of War Foundation. An NGO’s focused on supporting communities and individuals to rebuild lives after conflict.