Don McCullin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Don McCullin
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McCullin on TV Brasil, 2011
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Donald McCullin
9 October 1935 St Pancras, London, England
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| Occupation | Photojournalist |
| Years active | 1959–present |
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| Children | 5 |
Sir Donald McCullin (born 9 October 1935) is a famous British photojournalist. He is especially known for his powerful war photography and pictures of tough city life. Since 1959, he has focused on showing the lives of people who are struggling, like those without jobs or who are poor.
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Don McCullin's Early Life
McCullin was born in St Pancras, London. He grew up in Finsbury Park. During the Blitz (World War II bombings), he was sent to a farm in Somerset for safety.
He has mild dyslexia, which means he sometimes finds reading and writing tricky. But he was very good at drawing when he was at school. He even won a scholarship to an art school! However, after his father passed away, he left school at 15. He started working in catering on the railways.
In 1953, he joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) for his National Service.
Becoming a Photojournalist
During his time in the RAF, McCullin was sent to the Suez Canal during the 1956 Suez Crisis. He worked as an assistant to a photographer. He bought his first camera, a Rolleicord, for £30 while he was stationed in Nairobi.
When he returned to Britain, he didn't have much money. He had to pawn his camera, but his mother helped him get it back.
First Published Photo
In 1958, Don McCullin took a picture of a local London gang called The Guvnors. They were posing in a building that had been bombed. His friends told him to show the photo to The Observer newspaper. They published it, and this was the start of his amazing career as a photographer.
Covering Wars and Disasters
From 1966 to 1984, he worked for Sunday Times Magazine. He traveled the world to photograph big events. He covered wars, like the one in Biafra in 1968. He also showed the effects of human-made disasters. His strong pictures from the Vietnam War and the conflict in Northern Ireland are very famous.
In 1968, his Nikon F camera actually stopped a bullet that was meant for him! This shows how dangerous his job could be.
Photographing The Beatles
On 28 July 1968, Don McCullin was invited to photograph The Beatles. They were very famous at the time and were recording their White Album. These photos, taken in different places around London, are known as The Mad Day Out. Many well-known pictures of the band come from these sessions. The photos were later published in a book called A Day in the Life of the Beatles.
Later Work and Recognition
In 1982, the British government did not let McCullin go to cover the Falklands War. He thought it was because they worried his photos might show things that were too upsetting.
Don McCullin has written several books about his work. His book, Shaped by War (2010), went along with a special exhibition of his photos. More recently, he has explored landscape and still-life photography. He also takes commissioned portraits.
In 2012, a documentary film about his life called McCullin was released. It was nominated for two BAFTA awards.
In 2018, he visited Palmyra in Syria for a BBC documentary. He saw the damage caused by conflict to this ancient UNESCO site. He has often spoken about the dangers he faced in war zones. He said he has "reptile eyes" that help him stay aware and alive.
Even though he is known for war photography, McCullin has said that Alfred Stieglitz, another famous photographer, greatly influenced his work.
Personal Life
Don McCullin lives in Somerset. He is married and has five children from his marriages.
Awards and Honours
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Don McCullin has received many important awards for his photography:
- 1964: World Press Photo of the Year for his photos of the war in Cyprus.
- 1977: Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society (HonFRPS).
- 1993: Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). He was the first photojournalist to receive this honour.
- 2006: Cornell Capa Award.
- 2017: Appointed Knight Bachelor for his services to photography. This means he can be called "Sir Don McCullin".
Exhibitions
Don McCullin's work has been shown in many important art galleries:
- 2010–2012: Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin, at the Imperial War Museum North, Salford, UK, and the Imperial War Museum, London.
- 2019: Retrospective, Tate Britain, London, UK.
- 2020-2021: Retrospective, Tate Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Collections
McCullin's photographs are kept in famous permanent collections:
- Tate, UK: 85 prints.
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London: 11 prints.
- National Portrait Gallery, London: 18 prints.
Famous Quotes
Don McCullin has shared many thoughts about his life and work:
- "Photography for me is not looking, it's feeling. If you can't feel what you're looking at, then you're never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures."
- "I have risked my life endless times, and ended up in hospital with all kinds of burns and shell wounds. I have those reptile eyes that see behind and in front of me. I'm constantly trying to stay alive. I'm aware of warfare, of hidden mines."
See also
In Spanish: Don McCullin para niños
