JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Joao Silva, a photographer who was grievously injured in Afghanistan in 2010, says journalists who choose to cover conflict should have a clear understanding of the horrific consequences of combat.

The New York Times photographer said Wednesday at an exhibition of his work in Johannesburg, his home base, that "it's the easiest thing" for journalists to go to war because they can walk away anytime they have had enough.

Silva said civilians left behind often have nowhere to go and "have to live this reality or this nightmare, day in, day out."

The Portuguese-born photographer said his war coverage ended when a buried explosive blew off his legs in Afghanistan. A grueling recovery with multiple surgeries followed under military care in the United States.

"I'm still shooting pictures," he said.