From war zones to sharks: The versatile work of photographer Ben Lowy

Photographer Ben Lowy's career started with a rather large lie to an editor, about being able to speak Arabic and Hebrew, just to go to a conflict zone. Since the start of his career covering the Iraq War in 2003, Lowy has become well-known for his images of war zones in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya among other places. After the deaths of colleagues, photojournalists Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros in Libya, Lowy turned his lens more to the beauty of nature and adventure photography.

Here's a look at the range of subjects Lowy has captured with a unique perspective.

In this photo, U.S. troops with 3rd Platoon Alpha Company 3-21 Stryker Brigade, and elements of the Iraqi Army raid the home of a suspected insurgent, taking him prisoner.

Libya

A civilian takes cover as a Libyan rebel fires towards pro-Gaddafi forces on March 25 2011 on the outskirts of Ajdabiya, Libya on March 25, 2011.

Iraq

An Iraqi man launches himself off the lamp post of the Al Shuhada Bridge and into the Tigris river on a hot Baghdad night, May 14, 2003.

Afghanistan

Afghans drive past a destroyed building in war torn Afghanistan.

Afghanistan

Street life in Afghanistan.

Iraq

An Iraqi mechanic sleeping in the courtyard of a toolshed is woken and arrested by American soldiers after a masked Iraqi Concerned Citizen informant accused the mechanic of being an Al Qaeda sympathizer, during a late night raid on August 1, 2007 in Arab Jabour, Iraq.

Due to a high level of IEDs in the area the company size raiding party walked five kilometers (three miles) to the target in complete darkness, raided the target houses, detained questionable suspects and walked five kilometers (three miles) back to waiting humvees.

Abu Ghraib, Iraq

Iraqi civilians stare at a passing American Army Humvee as the unit patrols a commercial district of Abu Ghraib.

Since Lowy couldn't go anywhere in Baghdad without armed protection, he decided to show the perspective of Iraqi life seen through a Humvee -- the same perspective of U.S. troops had much of the time. The series of images reflect a distance and detachment, with the windows symbolic of the barriers to dialogue between an occupying force and the country's people.

The photos are available in the book "Iraq | Perspectives: Photographs by Benjamin Lowy"

Haiti earthquake

A man waits in a triage tent in the Port au Prince General Hospital before being evacuated to the USS Comfort hospital ship. The left side of his face was cut off by falling glass during the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Poppy fields in Afghanistan.

Haiti earthquake

A young Haitian man watches fire consume the remains of several earthquake ravaged warehouses in downtown Port au Prince, Haiti.

On January 12, 2010, Haiti was struck by a magnitude 7 earthquake which caused widespread devastation and nearly a quarter of a million deaths.

Seaside Heights, New Jersey

In 2012, the Star Jet roller coaster sits in the calm surf off the coast of New Jersey's hard-hit shore, days after Hurricane Sandy decimated its boardwalk home and sent the ride tumbling into the sea.

Lowy took this photo with his iPhone.

Coney Island, New York

Alberto Losano stands his ground in front of a massive wave as the storm surge from Hurricane Sandy makes landfall on October 29, 2012 in Coney Island, Brooklyn.

The iPhone photo was the first ever iPhone Time Magazine cover.

Torre Del Paine, Chile

Adult lion in Torre Del Paine, Chile.

Torre Del Paine, Chile

Torre Del Paine, Chile

India

Indian Kushti wrestlers grapple during daily practice in a talim - a wrestling center - in Kolhapur, India, October 8, 2015.

Lowy spent time during his recent trip in India documenting this traditional sport as part of a larger body of work on traditional wrestling worldwide and conflict resolution through sports.

Iceland glacier

A glacier in Iceland. The image was taken as part of an assignment for The New Yorker Magazine.

Iceland glacier

A glacier in Iceland.

Palau jellyfish

New York Times reporter Ian Urbina swims amid the millions of jellyfish living within Jellyfish Lake, an ancient saltwater lake in Palau, in the western Pacific Ocean, August 2015.

The lake is about 12,000 years old and was formed after the last ice age. Diving is at you own peril - below 15 meters is a poisonous anoxic layer full of hydrogen sulfide.

Sochi Olympics

Men's Aerials competition at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Sochia, Russia

Men's individual speed skating competition at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Isla Guadalupe, Mexico

A female great white shark inspects a piece of hanging bait as she swims past several dive cages, in Isla Guadalupe, Mexico on November 11, 2015. In other dive locations around the world, many tour operators "chum" the water, spilling blood and fresh food into the sea, hoping to start a shark feeding frenzy. Most if not all of the operators working within the waters of Isla Guadalupe have taken a different tack.

As the eco-tourism market has grown, so has the goal of not habituating sharks to a human presence. While tourists and divers want to get close to the great white, the goal is not to have the sharks see people and each boat as a source of food. That could lead to dangerous incidents. Rather, the frozen tuna "bait" is merely hung, enticing the shark's interest and curiosity, but not enough to feed these massive predators.

Lowy photographed this series on eco-tourism and shark for The New York Times.

Palau

Established by the government of Palau, reef sharks and other marine life occupy a massive protected marine reserve the size of France on August 29, 2015 in the territorial waters of Palau in Micronesia.

Grand Terre Island, Louisiana

The 2010 oil well disaster in the Gulf of Mexico was captured by Lowy.

Crude oil, released following the sinking of the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, washes ashore in this photo.

Gulf of Mexico

Pools of crude oil float on the surface of Gulf of Mexico waters at the site of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion, as seen from the deck of an emergency oil-skimming response vessel.

Ben Lowy

Ben Lowy in Libya.

Visit Ben Lowy's website and follow his on Instagram @BenLowy for more.