Photojournalist Tyler Hicks spoke at the 2014 National Geographic Photography Seminar in January—an annual celebration of photography held at the society’s headquarters in Washington.

In the video above, Hicks discusses his experience documenting conflict in Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, and most recently, the massacre at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, the city he calls home. He shares his thoughts about the losses he has witnessed and those he’s experienced personally, emphasizing the importance of remembering it all:

“The thing about war photography, and the thing about combat, is in a still image when you strip away everything, when you take away all the sound and explosions, and bullets, and the adrenaline, and the personal experience of being there, sometimes you’re left with