Photographer - Eddie Adams
Eddie Adams is a Pulitzer Prize winning famous photojournalist who is known for his portraits of celebrities, politicians and coverage of 13 wars. He photographed some of the famous personalities in the world including Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul II, Fidel Castro, Clint Eastwood and Mickey Mouse.
He was one of the most published photographers in U.S and his work was printed in famous magazines like Vogue, Vanity Fair and Time.
Eddie Adams was born in New Kensington, Pennsylvania on June 12, 1933. He started his photography career by shooting for weddings and other events as a high school student. He joined the Associated press in 1962 and after a decade left it to join TIME magazine. He became a PARADE magazine photographer in 1980 and was a special correspondent there. During the Korean War, he served as a combat photographer in the United States Marine Corps.
In 1969, he won the Pulitzer Prize for a photo of a Vietnamese police chief General executing a prisoner during the Vietnam War. Though the picture bought him fame, he never wanted the picture to be published. He said that the general killed the prisoner but his camera killed the general. Later he also apologized to the general's family.
In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, he has received more than 500 awards which include awards from World Press Photo, NPPA, National Headliners, Sigma Delta Chi and Overseas Press Club. He also won three George Polk Memorial Awards for war coverage and Robert Capa Award in 1978. He also started Eddie Adams Workshop, a training ground for aspiring photojournalists in 1988 which is still running today.
Eddie Adams photos inspired and moved people; the pictures led to some important changes in governments policies and lives of people. In 1979, he shot a picture of 50 Vietnamese fleeing their homeland on a fishing boat. It was this picture "Boat of no smiles" that led the U.S President Jimmy Carter to open the doors of U.S for around 200,000 Vietnamese refugees. His photos had a powerful message. They depicted the true face of wars and political events and changed the way people perceived news.
Adams shot iconic pictures and the great artist who was suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease passed away on September 19, 2004.
Image Photographer- Eddie Adams Credit Website: http://snapsallaround.blogspot.com/
