Marcus Yam is a roving Los Angeles Times foreign correspondent and staff photographer. Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, he left a career in aerospace engineering to become a photographer. His goal: to take viewers to the frontlines of conflict, struggle and intimacy. His approach is deeply rooted in curiosity and persistence. In 2022, Yam won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography for images documenting the U.S. departure from Afghanistan that capture the human cost of the historic change in the country. Yam is a two-time recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Journalism Award, notably in 2019, for his unflinching body of work showing the everyday plight of Gazans during deadly clashes in the Gaza Strip. He was also part of two Pulitzer Prize-winning breaking news teams that covered the San Bernardino, Calif., terrorist attacks in 2015 for the Los Angeles Times and the deadly landslide in Oso, Wash. in 2014, for the Seattle Times. His previous work has also earned an Emmy Award for News and Documentary, World Press Photo Award, DART Award for Trauma Coverage, Scripps Howard Visual Journalism Award, Picture of the Year International’s Newspaper Photographer of the Year Award, Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi Award, National Headliner Award and an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award. When he’s not working, Yam likes minimizing and organizing his life for efficiency for emergencies.
Latest From This Author
This Ukrainian artist was known for whimsical sculptures. Now, amid Russia’s war on Ukraine, he creates art from war debris, military weapons and fury.
Aug. 17, 2023
Even far from Ukraine’s front lines, military funerals set off waves of mourning. ‘You can’t see an end to it,’ one chaplain says as the war drags on.
June 26, 2023
Un repaso visual a algunas imágenes extraordinarias captadas en 2022.
Dec. 21, 2022
A visual look back at some remarkable images captured in 2022.
Dec. 19, 2022
Though it pledged to respect the rights of Afghan women and girls, the Taliban is turning back the clock on their education and presence in public life.
Nov. 21, 2022
China expands its links to Afghanistan as entrepreneurs scout for business opportunities and Beijing makes overtures to the ruling Taliban in Kabul.
Nov. 17, 2022
One of the world’s poorest nations sits on abundant deposits of iron, lead, lithium and other minerals, possibly worth trillions of dollars.
Nov. 3, 2022
Constancy and consistency are the keys to a Kabul restaurant that for generations has specialized in chainaki, Afghanistan’s ultimate comfort food.
Oct. 18, 2022
Because of sanctions, economically stricken Afghanistan is now a cash-only society — but that’s a problem when its banknotes are falling apart.
Sept. 27, 2022
Los Angeles Times photographer Marcus Yam is on the ground in London to bring a visual perspective as Britain says goodbye to the queen.
Sept. 19, 2022