American photojournalist David Douglas Duncan, best known for his combat photography, passed away on 7 June in Grasse, France. During his career, he covered various conflicts, including the Pacific War, Korean War, and the Vietnam conflict. He shot for prominent media such as the New York Times, LIFE magazine and many other publications.
Duncan was born on 23 January 1916 in Kansas City, Missouri. He started the career in photojournalism while he was still in college and he was selling his work to publications such as The Kansas City Star, LIFE, and the National Geographic Magazine.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Duncan joined the Marine Corps. He earned an officer’s commission and became a combat photographer, which is what he is most famous for. He issued 26 photography books. Other than combat photography, he was also known for photos of Pablo Picasso, and he was reportedly the only person allowed to photograph Picasso’s private paintings.
As The Guardian writes, Duncan became an anti-war advocate later in his career. Advising young journalists at the Perpignan festival, he said: “You have cameras. They are political weapons, you have to use them.”According to ABC, Duncan died in a French hospital after complications with a lung infection.
[via Nikon]
