RIP Horst Faas

                                             Picture Copyright: AP
                                             Horst Faas on assignment in Vietnam




I had never before seen Horst Faas' work till a photojournalist friend post a link to this mind blowing series of photographs on Denver Post website to mark the 30th anniversary of The Fall of Saigon in the Vietnam war. There are some stunning shots by Faas in this series posted in a previous post on this blog. But, Faas was clearly more than just a war photographer covering Vietnam. As this obituary on National Public Radio points out, he also trained a number of young photographers during the war coverage who went on to create iconic images. Two of them are significant. The Saigaon police chief executing a captured prisor by Eddie Adams, and the "Napalm Girl" by Nick Ut. In fact, he is widely credited as the picture editor who pushed these image past AP editors to the AP wire.

Couple of Faas' pictures are here
His interview with Digital Journalist where he speaks about the Saigaon Execution picture which is a must-read.
Do also read an obituary by Richard Pyle, former AP bureau chief and Faas' colleague, on Lens Blog


My salute to the great man. May his soul rest in peace.