With her Nikon camera, dozens of film rolls and a strong social conscience, photojournalist Natsuko Utsumi travels the world to capture the human face of the issues that shape public debate.
"I am taking pictures of people who need empowerment," says the fortysomething Hyogo Prefecture native, who has been based in New York for most of her 20-year career.
While she has covered a wide range of issues, including fashion, politics and deforestation, most of her recent work focuses on women's and children's issues, including teenage motherhood, domestic violence, child abuse and anorexia. Her strong desire to photograph and reveal what's happening has even taken her to war-ravaged Bosnia, where she covered victims of rape by soldiers during the conflict there.