PHOTOGRAPHERS
Week of highs and lows
Some of the world's top photographers have made Bangkok their home. Last week another legend and lover of Thailand passed away.
Published on March 25, 2008
Last week was a time of highs and lows for photographers in Bangkok. It started with a birthday celebration for James Nachtwey, one of the biggest names in the business, who had reached 60 - a fair feat considering he has covered most of the major wars and disasters of recent decades. Nachtwey and half a dozen colleagues put on a showing of their recent work at 'Rain Dogs' in Rama IV. Later, they aired a documentary on the American's extraordinary career. Shortly after, came the news that acclaimed British war photographer Philip Jones Griffiths had passed away - after a long battle with cancer. Griffiths, who was 72, lived in Bangkok for many years and did his most famous work in this region. His book 'Vietnam Inc' was hailed by Time as "the best work of photo reportage of war ever published" and became an anti-war classic. Loved Bangkok The Welshman first came to Thailand in 1967 and said in a recent interview he still loved Krungthep. "It's a place I've always been enchanted by. I lived here until 1980." Griffiths moved to New York to head the highly rated Magnum photo agency. He was a regular visitor to Bangkok, but shifted back to London a few years ago. He put out another haunting classic on 'Agent Orange', the defoliant blamed for a horrific legacy of child deformities in Vietnam. And there were other books on Cambodia, 'Vietnam at Peace', and Bangkok. Griffiths knew his time was running out. "I have cancer and it's on the move, spreading," he told The Nation two years ago. He is survived by two daughters, and many friends and admirers. Check out some of his work on the BBC's website.
By Jim Pollard Daily Xpress
|
