Philip Jones Griffiths
Photographer whose photos of world conflicts have made him famous.
- Born:
-
1936
- Died:
-
2008
- Place of Birth:
- Rhuddlan
- School:
- St Asaph Grammar School, Liverpool University
- Famous For:
- His war photography is known across the world
I am who I am because of the values of being brought up in a little Welsh village. We knew all the things we stood for were being diluted as the English came over and essentially took over a lot of Wales
Philip Jones Griffiths
- Biography:
-
Philip Jones Griffiths is considered to be one of the great photographers of the 20th century and is particularly known for his news photography.
His photos [view some here]
of wars across the world, including Algeria, Israel, Northern Ireland, Cambodia, Iraq, Bosnia and, in particular Vietnam, have created a body of work which is studied and admired by students of photography and journalism over the world.
He has been the president of the influential photography agency Magnum for five years, longer than anyone else who has filled the post.
Having left Wales aged 16 and lived in the United States for many years he now lives in London. However, as he is now unwell, he has expressed a desire for his work to have a permanent home in Wales, despite the fact that numerous organisations in London, New York, France and Italy are eager to mount significant exhibitions of his work.
Despite his worldwide fame as a photo-journalist and his influence in the field, or perhaps because of this, Philip Jones Griffiths says that his upbringing as a Welshman, and, especially, as a Welshman from Rhuddlan, has been the basis for everything he has done.Philip Jones Griffiths was born in Rhuddlan, the hometown of his father, Joseph Griffiths, who worked for a railway company. His mother, Catherine Jones, who was originally from Anglesey, was a nurse.He took photos with his Kodak 'Brownie' camera from an early age and remembers one incident which sparked his interest further. He went to listen to E. Emrys Jones, a local teacher and photographer, speaking at Rhyl Camera Club when he was in his teens.
A photograph by the French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson was shown to the audience upside down. The audience called out that the photo was upside down, but this was a deliberate attempt by E. Emrys Jones to teach them about picture composition, a lesson that Philip Jones Griffiths never forgot, and Cartier-Bresson, one of the founders of the Magnum agency, continues to be one of his heroes.The young Philip also spent a great deal of his time experimenting with chemicals and creating explosions in the back garden and because of this, and the fact that his father knew the manager of
Boots in Rhyl, it was decided that chemistry would be a good career for him and it was arranged that he would go as a trainee to the chemists in Rhyl.He went on to study Chemistry at Liverpool University and continued to take photographs in his spare time - the opportunity to make a living from photography at the time was limited as magazines like the Picture Post closed down due to the advent of television.
However after 10 years in the field of chemistry, 10 years he feels he wasted, he had had enough and left: "Once you've had to count 1000 tablets by hand you know it's time to leave."
He obtained a post with the Observer newspaper in London and one of his first assignements was the war in Algeria. In 1966 he went to Vietnam and the war photos he took there are some of his most famous.
In 1971 he published his first book, Vietnam Inc, chronicling what American soliders were doing in Vietnam and many say the pictures in this book, which is a valuable publication by now, changed the course of the war.
He has published three other books since then: Agent Orange, which looks at the effect the chemical Agent Orange (which was used by the Americans to strip the leaves from trees) had on generations of Vietnam's people; Vietnam at Peace chronicles the history of the country following the war and Dark Odyssey, his most recent book, is a collection of his best photos. In 2001, he visited the National Eisteddfod which was held near Denbigh that year, where his work was being exhibited in the Arts and Crafts tent. "I'm a product of Dyffryn Clwyd and it's always good to be home", he said at the time.
He died in March 2008, aged 72, reported BBC News at the time.
your comments
Oriole Newgass, Dartmouth
A darling lovely man, as well as one of the best photographers of all time. I met him 40 or so years ago, and he was a dear & cherished friend for years. I heard him on the radio a month or so ago, and resolved to get in touch again. It breaks my heart to know I left it too late.
Mon Apr 7 09:47:59 2008
Abdul Malik Griffiths from Birmingham
A very inspiring man, who has made a great impression on my life. I was privileged to attend a lecture he presented in Cardiff a few years ago and the book launch at The National Museum for the book Dark Odyssey. I spoke to him briefly, but at the age of 23 it inspired me to further a career in photojournalism. During his lecture he showed some slides of images taken during his life and he described some of the background behind taking them. One of the images was one of his most famous photographs of a napalm victim, whose face was disfigured and whose identity was obscured by a bandage wrapped entirely around the head. I believe there was a question form the audience which was 'Do you believe there is a limit to what can be photographed of war' - his answer I believe was 'I walked into this hospital which was specifically for people who were affected by napalm. My immediate reaction was to walk out due to the terrible nature of the injuries.' he then explained 'But I believed and do believe you have a responsibility of truth. To show the consequences of war, and to be a voice for those who have died and who are dying.' He then went on to say it was difficult to take these photographs as he needed to fight back the tears at the terrible inhumanity of war. But explained 'I had to stop myself as I knew I had to finish my work, I left my crying for the photographic dark room, where I could see the images in a place of peace'.
Tue Mar 25 11:42:26 2008
Ceridwen, Fishguard
He turned his camera to the heart of darkness: what courage that must have taken.
Tue Mar 25 10:35:39 2008
Osa
What a great man and a great history. We have to carry his spirit with us.
Thu Mar 20 08:55:58 2008
Kate Paine, Honolulu
The compassion shown in BBC choice of display photos grabs at one's core. In this digital age, it's so very easy to snap off photos of saturated color, one rarely sees the kind of story that can come through photographs captured behind a knowledgable hand/eye such as Griffiths'. I loved getting to know who he was :)
Thu Mar 20 08:55:26 2008
Harish Hande
More than anything Philip was a wonderful human being. He visited me in rural India a decade ago to shoot rural clients using solar energy. The rural folks actually had moist eyes when he left in the evening - he had become one of them within a span of 12-13 hours.
Thu Mar 20 08:52:48 2008
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