Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Photography and portraiture - Personal creations of Larry Burrows

Personal creations of Larry Burrows

British Larry Burrows is the most representative Vietnam War war correspondent. However, people may have some misunderstandings, thinking that war photographers only risk their lives on the battlefield, but are not good at creating beauty in peacetime. But in fact, if Larry Burrows is not an all-rounder, he is at least a relatively comprehensive photojournalist. He used his unique artistic vision to record wars and describe the beauty of the world. For several years, he frequently visited hot spots in the world at that time, such as the Suez Canal. Congo, Lebanon. Cyprus and finally Vietnam left his mark as a photojournalist everywhere.

He was once the most effective war photographer for "Life" Pictorial. Although his name continues to appear in various "Life" series of books, all the glory failed to stop his tragic ending. Burrows started his career in the battlefield and made his fortune in Vietnam. He devoted himself to Life's reporting on the Vietnam War, so much so that the editors of Life always insisted on ranking him at the top of the list of the best war photojournalists.

War-themed photos have always been a big selling point of "Life". From World War II to the recent Iraq War, it is not difficult to see the shadow of "Life" photographers on the battlefield. The protracted Vietnam War 40 years ago pushed this dangerous profession to the extreme.

In spite of the rush of battlefield interviews and the roughness of photos, Burrows's pursuit of excellence in photography has always been praised by photojournalists who covered the Vietnam War. In order to take satisfactory photos, he will risk his life to travel to the selected location multiple times, or shoot from a helicopter for several days. Burrows was also one of the most accomplished photojournalists who took color photos during the Vietnam War. Most of the photojournalists who covered the Vietnam War at the same time as him took black and white photos. Burrows had worked as a darkroom technician at the London branch of Life magazine for many years and had rich experience in film processing. Therefore, his color photos were superior to those of his colleagues. The sense of scene in the battlefield is even stronger. All of these gave Burrows's photos a more distinctive personal style. At that time, they were not only loved by Life magazine, but also widely welcomed by European magazines; now, they are more completely reflected in this just-published collection.