Horst Faas, a prize-winning combat photographer who worked for the Associated Press for several years, has died in Munich. He was 79.
Faas recruited and trained several young photographers during his time with the AP, creating a supergroup of shutterbugs who were able to capture the horrors of war from almost every angle. While he became famous for covering combat situations–Vietnam especially–he also trained his lens on the important events going on in the world around him, such as the Olympics.
The Vietnam photos won him a series of awards, including the first of two Pulitzers, which would give him a distinct honor among his peers.
“Horst was one of the great talents of our age, a brave photographer and a courageous editor who brought forth some of the most searing images of this century,” said AP Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll. “He was a stupendous colleague and a warm and generous friend.”
Part of being a successful photographer is being able to anticipate what the next shot will be; timing is everything, and Faas had it in droves. He managed to capture some of the most haunting images ever recorded on film by looking at the world with a sympathetic eye, which accounts for a lot of his appeal.
The images he snapped during the Vietnam war will live forever in the minds of those they touched.
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