In a world where countless images of conflict and hardship flood our senses, what makes a photograph truly stand out?

According to Kate Geraghty, a Gold Walkley Award-winning photojournalist and chief photographer for the Sydney Morning Herald, the answer lies in emotion.

In an interview with nine.com.au celebrating the newspaper’s 195th anniversary, Geraghty explained, “Emotion sparks a conversation.”

She elaborated, “When someone walks by, the right image can stop them in their tracks.”

“They become curious, eager to learn more about the story behind the photograph,” she added.

“That’s the essence of a powerful photograph,” Geraghty concluded.

Geraghty has been photographing war zones and disasters, both natural and man-made, for 25 years at the Herald.

Her first assignment was the 2002 Bali bombings.

The following year she went to Iraq and became the first woman at the Herald to photograph war.

In the decades since, she’s taken the Australian public inside the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, and conflicts across the Middle East and Europe through the lens of her camera.

Her job often involves months of careful planning and coordination, which can go out the window in a split-second when missiles start firing.

“The nature of war is so fluid that you just have to roll with the punches, and just document what’s happening,” she said.

“But really, at the end of the day, none of these challenges is anything compared to the civilian population and what they’re going through.”

Hundreds of photographers have worked at the paper in the 195 years since its first issue was published and one trait links them all over nearly two centuries.

“We all embody the same thing: passion and dedication to telling the story,” Geraghty said.

“That’s a legacy that everyone should be proud of.”

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