Nurse April Gundersen makes her patient comfortable in the ICU through the night shift on February 15, 2005.
Kamil Krzaczynski was one of seven photographers, known as The Documentary Group, who spent 24 hours at the University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics in Salt Lake City. Given unlimited access to all areas of the hospital, they captured more than 5,300 images. The photographers were not allowed to influence any of the scenes or subjects, and each photographer was accompanied by a hospital representative to obtain proper consent from patients, visitors, and staff." This was my first documentary project on such a large scale," says Krzaczynski. "I would never have been part of it, if not for Jim Fisher, my mentor and professor from the University of Utah who believed I could do a fine job during this shoot."
The photo at right, taken the same day, shows another nurse with a patient in the recovery room.
A native of Poland, 32-year-old Krzaczynski graduated from the University of Utah, where he majored in communications technology. He now lives in Chicago working as a photographer for the European Pressphoto Agency, Reuters, the Associated Press, the Chicago Tribune, and others.
Alison Bulman, senior editorial coordinator