Margaret Burke White's Career

In 1930, White became the first Western photojournalist allowed to enter the Soviet Union for coverage. Before this, the Soviet Union had never been open to any Western photojournalists. According to regulations, the Soviet government was responsible for all expenses of her visit, but she had to submit all the photos she took to the Soviet government for approval. After that, she was invited to the Soviet Union many times. Her photos of Soviet industry possess a beauty of stillness and power. At first, she was only interested in Soviet machinery, using the characters as foils. However, during her subsequent trips to the Soviet Union, she focused on workers and ordinary people, and took many shots of peasant women and children.

In 1936, White accidentally learned that the writer E. Caldaai was looking for a photographer to shoot his documentary novel "The People You Have Met." After meeting and talking with Caldaai, White decided to go to the South with him to report on the lives of sharecroppers there.

In 1936, White signed a new contract with Luce to take pictures for the newly launched Life magazine. Her photo of dam workers after get off work was selected for the cover of the first issue of Life. The editor of the magazine wrote in the preface that White's photos documenting life on the front lines of the United States showed people a new world.

In 1937, White took a very influential work: under a propaganda poster that Americans enjoy the highest living standards in the world, there are poor people waiting in line for relief. This work profoundly reflects the crisis existing in American society at that time.

In the spring of 1938, White collaborated with Kaldavin again and came to Czechoslovakia to complete the second part of "South of the Dozi River". The two got married the following year.

In the spring of 1941, White and Kaldavin traveled to the Soviet Union again with 617 pounds of luggage, 600 pounds of which was White's luggage. White brought five cameras, 22 lenses, and 3,000 flash bulbs. At that time, Nazi German planes were bombing Moscow, and he was the only foreign reporter left. The Kremlin could be seen from the balcony of the hotel where she sank. From there, she photographed the Kremlin as it came under air attack. In September of the same year, they returned from Moscow and the photos they brought back caused a great sensation in the United States. White's trip to the Soviet Union and her outstanding work for Happiness magazine and Life made her a well-known photographer. She became a woman admired by Americans for her perseverance, dedication and outstanding achievements. In a 1935 poll, she was listed as one of the 20 most famous women in the United States; in 1936, she was listed as one of the 10 most famous women in the United States.

During World War II, wars were burning everywhere, and White often appeared on the smoke-filled battlefields. In August 1942, she went to England to photograph the U.S. B-17 bombing team participating in the war. Later, he went to South Africa to take photos and report on the situation. On the way from North Africa to South Africa, the ship she was on was torpedoed and sunk, and many people died at the bottom of the sea. She struggled to swim to a lifeboat, fought with death all night, and was rescued the next day. In 1944, Hollywood film director A. Hitchcock made a feature film "Lifeboat" based on her experience.

In December 1944, White flew on a U.S. military B-17 bomber and used a K-20 aerial camera to film the bombing of the Nazi Air Force Base-Oruna Airport. Towards the end of the war, she went to interview General George Patton's troops and took many excellent photos, including the portrait of General Patton, a famous general of the generation. After the war, the ambitious White was looking for new challenges. In March 1946, she went to the turbulent India and stayed there for three years. She photographed many images of military officers, religious leaders and farmers. She also recorded the bloodshed caused by the division of India and Pakistan and the people's starvation. The tragedy.

The most famous work that White shot during his stay in India is "Gandhi on Ramadan". Gandhi didn't like flash, but his small room was extremely dark, with only a beam of sunlight shining through the high window, and this beam of sunlight was right in front of her lens. This obnoxious glare must be avoided. White discussed with Gandhi for a long time, and Gandhi finally reluctantly agreed to her using three light bulbs. In this work, White uses soft tones to depict Gandhi shirtless and spinning, presenting to people the image of a humble, kind-hearted, ordinary man who resolutely resisted British colonial rule.

In 1952, White suffered from Parkinson's disease. But she still worked for Life magazine. After 1957, her illness worsened and she could no longer engage in photography.

In the following years, White fought hard against the disease for 14 years. She underwent two brain surgeries in the hope of relieving her symptoms, but the results were not satisfactory. She never admits failure. She said: Yes, I want to face the facts as objectively as possible. However, I will never give in to illness! During this period, she completed a best-selling autobiographical novel "Self-Portrait" and continued to write articles for "Life". On August 27, 1971, White passed away. There is no doubt that she is one of the greatest photographers of this century. White said: The path I have taken and the career I have undertaken are not accidental... all of them are designed according to my own wishes.

In her final days, she laboriously wrote: A man's life is complete only through his actions... You must be responsible for what you do and for the people you influence. At the end of your life, only the work you do shows the value of your existence.