New York Times photojournalist Tyler Hicks, recipient of numerous photojournalism awards from the National Press Photographers Association and the Pictures of the Year among others, is on the international road documenting the changing life in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Hicks narrated a collection of beautiful black and white photographs depicting everyday life in a rather nontraditional style - a panoramic format that offers a fresh view and a departure from the dimensions of a standard photograph. You can find the collection here, and if you’re inclined here are a few more (note: graphic) photographs made by Mr. Hicks in conflict.

If you appreciate and aspire to these photographs (in my opinion the NYT under Assistant Managing Editor for Photography Michele McNally is a pinnacle of newspaper photojournalism) then make sure you browse their galleries often. If you’re a fledgling photographer, you may wish to take a moment and read McNally’s comments for new photographers. Included is a brief quotation to whet your visual appetite.

The most important work a young photographer can do is existential. You must figure out what kind of photographer you want to be, what do you want to say and how are you going to do it better than others have done before you.

Recognize that the career of a photojournalist is a difficult one personally, so you must love what you are doing. Be certain of your mission, but be prepared to constantly grow. Work hard, very hard. Be forever curious, persistent and gracious. When people let you into their lives, realize that it is a gift.

Don’t let technical issues come between you and a great picture; make it second nature. Recognize the role of aesthetics in storytelling. And shoot, shoot and shoot some more.

– Michele McNally