Towell is known for his photographs of sites of political conflict in Ukraine, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Standing Rock and Afghanistan, among others.
[2] In 1976, Towell volunteered to work in Calcutta, India, where he became interested in questions about the distribution of wealth and issues of land and landlessness.
[4] Towell's photographic projects are often long-form investigative pieces; this format allows him to connect with the subjects he depicts.
His work has included documentation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,[10][11] Mennonite migrant workers in Mexico,[12] and a personal project on his family's farm in southern Ontario.
[13] From 2008 to 2011, Towell traveled five times to Afghanistan to photograph the social effects of the Afghan civil war.