Philip Jones Griffiths
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| Philip Jones Griffiths | |
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| Born | February 18, 1936 Rhuddlan, Wales |
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| Died | March 18, 2008 (aged 72) London, England |
| Nationality | UK |
| Occupation | Photojournalism |
| Website Magnum Photos |
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Philip Jones Griffiths (February 18, 1936 – March 18, 2008) was a Welsh photojournalist known for his coverage of the Vietnam war.
| “ | The first picture of his I ever saw was during a lecture at the Rhyl camera club. I was 16 and the speaker was Emrys Jones. He projected the picture upside down. Deliberately, to disregard the subject matter to reveal the composition. It's a lesson I've never forgotten. | „ |
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—Philip Jones Griffiths on his idol, and later coworker, Henri Cartier-Bresson. |
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[edit] Career
Philips Jones Griffiths was born in Rhuddlan, to Joseph Griffiths, who supervised the local trucking service of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, and Catherine Jones, Rhuddlan's district nurse, who ran a small maternity clinic at home.[1] He studied pharmacy in Liverpool and worked in London as the night manager at the Piccadilly branch of Boots The Chemist, while also working as a part-time photographer for the Manchester Guardian.[2] He started work as a full-time freelance photographer in 1961 for the Observer, travelling to Algeria in 1962. He arrived in Vietnam in 1965, working for the Magnum agency.[3]
Magnum found his images difficult to sell to American magazines, as they concentrated on the suffering of the Vietnamese people and reflected his view of the war as an episode in the continuing decolonisation of former European possessions. However, he was eventually able to get a scoop that the American outlets liked: photographs of Jackie Kennedy vacationing with a male friend in Cambodia. The proceeds from these photos enabled him to continue his coverage of Vietnam and to publish Vietnam Inc. in 1971. The book had a major influence on American perceptions of the war, and became a classic of photojournalism.[4][5]
In 1973 he covered the Yom Kippur War. He then worked in Cambodia from 1973 to 1975. In 1980 he became the president of Magnum, a position he then held for five years. In 2001 Vietnam Inc. was reprinted with a foreword by Noam Chomsky. Subsequent books have included Dark Odyssey, a collection of his best pictures, and Agent Orange, dealing with the impact of the US defoliant Agent Orange on postwar generations in Vietnam.
On March 18 2008, aged 72, he died from cancer.[6][7][8]
[edit] Bibliography
- Philip Jones Griffiths [1971] (2006). Vietnam, Inc.. Phaidon Press. ISBN 978-0714846033.
- Philip Jones Griffiths (1996). Dark Odyssey. Aperture. ISBN 978-0893816452.
- Philip Jones Griffiths (2004). Agent Orange: Collateral Damage in Vietnam. Trolley. ISBN 978-1904563051.
- Philip Jones Griffiths (2005). Vietnam At Peace. Trolley. ISBN 978-1904563389.
[edit] References
- ^ Jones Griffiths, Philip (1996). Dark Odyssey. Aperture. ISBN 978-0893816452. The introduction by Murray Sayle continues "In the Welsh manner, Philip uses the name of both his parents, to distinguish himself from all the other Joneses and Griffithses of the neighbourhood."
- ^ Harrison, Graham (2008-05-03). Philip Jones Griffiths. Photo Histories.
- ^ Photograph of him in action, John Giannini, Magnum.
- ^ "Vietnam Inc., Part I: A Photo-Journey Through the Villages, Fields, and Alleys of a Devastated Nation", Democracy Now!, 23 January 2002.
- ^ "Vietnam Inc., Part II: A Photo-Journey through the Villages, Fields, and Alleys of a Devastated Nation", Democracy Now!, 24 January 2002.
- ^ Kennedy, Randy (2008-03-20). Philip Jones Griffiths, Photographer, Dies at 72. New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
- ^ Agence France-Presse. "War photographer Philip Jones Griffith dies at 72", 2008-03-19.
- ^ Franklin, Stuart (2008-03-19). Philip Jones Griffiths 1936-2008.
[edit] External links
- Messer, William (Spring 2008). "Presence Of Mind: The Photographs of Philip Jones Griffiths". Aperture (magazine) 190.
- Dannin, Bob (January 2002). "Interview with Philip Jones Griffiths". New York City.
- Jones Griffiths, Philip (2007). Point and Shoot. Magnum. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
- Jones Griffiths, Philip (2007). Blood, Nails and Prayers. Magnum. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
- 50 Years on the Frontlines. Magnum. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
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