Eddie Adams
Eddie Adams was born on June 12, 1933, in New Kingston, Pennsylvania to Edward and Adelaide Adams. As a teenager Adams became interested in photography and joined his high school’s newspaper staff as a photographer. After graduating high school, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and spent three years as a combat photographer during the Korean War. In 1958, Adams left the Marines and joined the staff of The Evening Bulletin in Philadelphia and eventually became a photographer for the Associated Press.
In 1965, Adams decided to travel to Vietnam and photograph the war. He was near the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon where the Viet Cong executed the Tet offensive during the Vietnamese New Year. The Tet offensive was an attack made by the Viet Cong who used a Buddhist temple as a cover to shoot at South Vietnamese soldiers on the street. During this battle Adams snapped his most iconic photo, a picture of General Nguyen Ngoc Loan shooting a Viet Cong suspect. The photograph became worldwide and was on almost every newspaper, immediately establishing Adams as one of the world’s top photojournalist. His action shot won a Pulitzer Prize and shifted American’s view on the war, they began to believe that South Vietnamese and American military were doing more harm than good. Adams regretted the impact of the photograph because of the negative effects it had on General Loan, who became a despised figure in Vietnam and the United States.
Adams left the Associated Press in 1972 to freelance for Time magazine, photographing numerous celebrities and Penthouse pets. Taking a break from war, he began to produce fashion and entertainment photographs. During his career he captured thirteen wars, received over 500 awards, and changed the way people perceived events. In May 2004, Adams was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease but continued to work until he died on September 19, 2004.
Eddie Adams left behind one of the most iconic and memorable images of Vietnam, an
In 1965, Adams decided to travel to Vietnam and photograph the war. He was near the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon where the Viet Cong executed the Tet offensive during the Vietnamese New Year. The Tet offensive was an attack made by the Viet Cong who used a Buddhist temple as a cover to shoot at South Vietnamese soldiers on the street. During this battle Adams snapped his most iconic photo, a picture of General Nguyen Ngoc Loan shooting a Viet Cong suspect. The photograph became worldwide and was on almost every newspaper, immediately establishing Adams as one of the world’s top photojournalist. His action shot won a Pulitzer Prize and shifted American’s view on the war, they began to believe that South Vietnamese and American military were doing more harm than good. Adams regretted the impact of the photograph because of the negative effects it had on General Loan, who became a despised figure in Vietnam and the United States.
Adams left the Associated Press in 1972 to freelance for Time magazine, photographing numerous celebrities and Penthouse pets. Taking a break from war, he began to produce fashion and entertainment photographs. During his career he captured thirteen wars, received over 500 awards, and changed the way people perceived events. In May 2004, Adams was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease but continued to work until he died on September 19, 2004.
Eddie Adams left behind one of the most iconic and memorable images of Vietnam, an