For Philip Jones Griffiths
Dear Philip,
If someone had given me an empty, white book at the day of my birth and everyone important I met in my life would have written in it, you would be the one with the biggest number of pages. You taught me so much about life, history and photography.
And not only me: I heard so many people saying you were their true inspiration to either become a photographer or to change their lives to the good. And even though you knew that you had many admirer, you always stayed down to earth, never complaining, talking to every taxi driver and nurse about the world, always believing: “self-praise is no recommendation”.
As an ideologist you believed in the camera as a tool to reveal the truth, shooting to expose the injustice in this world. At all times complaining about meaningless art photography, you took “real pictures for real people”. Born in Wales and raised there, you got this “landscape shit” out of your head, as you often said and your tenet was that we all have a choice in life: “You can cover a hell of a lot wide and shallow or you can cover a small number of things narrow and deep. Both are valid. But those who decide to do narrow and deep produce something that ultimately lasts.” You believed in shooting for history and succeeded in doing it with your book Vietnam Inc. that became one of the most important books of war.
I think I never met such a brave person in all my life and probably will never again. With your strong will, you proved the doctors many times wrong. Even in the last months you were still joking about your illness, often repeating; “I’m the world’s best and most expensive motorbike with no air in the tires.”
I never dared to ask you what you think comes after death. I think I was more afraid than you. You always said that you lived a wonderful life, adding: “Who is afraid to die, is afraid to live.” After you survived many difficult and dangerous situations, you continuously joked that photographers should stick to war photography: “it’s less dangerous than skydiving or rock-climbing.”
Philip, there are so many things I could say about how wonderful you were. I will never forget your words that you told me when I saw you the last time. I’m sorry I couldn’t answer you because of the tears I couldn’t stop, but I promise you that I will always photograph for the right reasons. Please keep an eye on me wherever you will be…
Thank you for all the things you taught me, gave me and told me. Thank you for making me feel home, supporting me, making me laugh and for giving me the most wonderful time of my life in your little apartment in London. I never felt that happy before…
I love you and will never forget you! I promise that I will do everything I can to keep your beliefs about photography alive.
Many hugs…
Alice
