Rémi Ochlik facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rémi Ochlik
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| Born | 16 October 1983 Thionville, France
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| Died | 22 February 2012 (aged 28) Homs, Syria
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| Cause of death | Bombardment |
| Education | Icart Photo School |
| Alma mater | Marcel-Pagnol de Serémange-Erzange |
| Occupation | Photojournalist |
| Years active | 2002–2012 |
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Notable work
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Haitian riots, 2004; "The Fall of Tripoli", "Egypt Tahir Square" and "The Jasmine Revolution" "Battle for Libya", 2011 (photo story) |
| Partner(s) | Emilie Blachère |
| Awards | Francois Chalais Award, 2004 World Press Photo, 2012 |
Rémi Ochlik (born October 16, 1983 – died February 22, 2012) was a brave French photojournalist. He was known for his powerful photographs of wars and conflicts. Rémi covered major events like the riots in Haiti and the Arab Spring revolutions. He died while reporting from Homs, Syria, during a conflict. He passed away alongside another famous war journalist, Marie Colvin.
Contents
Who Was Rémi Ochlik?
Rémi Ochlik was born in 1983 in Thionville, France. He grew up in the Lorraine region. When he was a child, Rémi dreamed of becoming an archaeologist. However, his grandfather gave him an Olympus OM1 camera. This gift sparked his interest in photography.
After finishing school, Rémi studied photography in Paris. He attended the Icart Photo School.
Rémi Ochlik's Photography Career
Rémi Ochlik started his photography journey in 2002. He worked for a photography agency called Wostok. There, he began by taking pictures of demonstrations.
In 2005, Rémi started his own photo agency in Paris, called IP3 Press. This allowed him to get a French press card. For IP3, he photographed the French presidential campaign in 2007. He took pictures of important politicians like Nicolas Sarkozy. He also covered events in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2008.
His amazing photos were featured in many famous magazines. These included Time, The Wall Street Journal, and Paris Match. After he passed away, his friends and colleagues put together his photos of the Arab Spring revolutions. They published them in a book called Révolutions, du rêve au printemps de Rémi Ochlik.
What Were His Famous Photo Stories?
Reporting from Haiti
Rémi Ochlik became well-known after covering the riots in Haiti in 2004. This was during the presidential elections. He felt a strong connection to the events there. He said, "It was my war." He felt the danger but also the excitement of being in the action.
His photos from Haiti were bought by Choc magazine. They also won the François Chalais Award for Young Reporters. His work was shown at the Visa pour l’Image International Photojournalism Festival. Rémi returned to Haiti in 2010 to photograph the 2010–2011 Haiti cholera outbreak.
Documenting the Arab Spring
Rémi Ochlik was most famous for his pictures of the Arab Spring revolutions. These events happened in 2011 and 2012. He photographed in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya.
In 2011, three of his Arab Spring pictures won the Grand Prix Jean-Louis Calderon award. These were "The Fall of Tripoli," "Egypt Tahrir Square," and "The Jasmine Revolution." In 2012, he won first prize in the World Press Photo contest. This was for his photo of a Libyan rebel fighter.
Guillaume Clavières, a senior photo editor at Paris Match, praised Rémi. He called him "one of the most talented young photographers of his generation."
Covering the Syrian Civil War
In 2012, Rémi photographed scenes from the Syrian civil war. He and fellow journalist Marie Colvin were in the Baba Amr area of Homs. They were killed during heavy shelling when a rocket hit the house they were using as a media center. Other journalists were injured in the same attack.
Photojournalist William Daniels managed to get photos from Rémi Ochlik's camera. The camera was found in the ruins after the attack. Three of these images were included in Rémi's book, Revolutions. One showed men at a funeral, and another showed a man alone with his weapon.
Remembering Rémi Ochlik
Many people spoke about Rémi Ochlik's talent and bravery. Jean-François Leroy, from the Visa pour l'Image festival, was very impressed by Rémi's early work from Haiti. He said, "Photojournalism is not dead."
François Hollande, who was a presidential candidate in France at the time, was deeply saddened by Rémi's death. He noted that Rémi had been covering his campaign just days before.
Friends and colleagues of Rémi Ochlik worked to keep his memory alive. His partner, Emilie Blachère, a journalist for Paris Match, wrote a touching poem about him. She read it on BBC Radio 4. The poem described her love for Rémi and his adventurous spirit. It also mentioned his favorite movie, Singing in the Rain.
Rémi Ochlik Prize
To honor Rémi, the City of Perpignan Young Reporter Award was renamed. It is now called the Rémi Ochlik Prize (Prix Rémi Ochlik). The first award under this new name was given in 2012.
- 2012: Sebastián Liste, from Getty Images. He was awarded for his work Urban Quilombo, which showed the lives of people in Quilombo, Brazil.
Awards and Recognition
- Francois Chalais Award for Young Reporters, 2004: For his photojournalism during the Haitian conflict.
- Jean-Louis Calderon Grand prize, 2011: For his Arab Spring photos "The Fall of Tripoli", "Egypt Tahrir Square", and "The Jasmine Revolution".
- World Press Photo, 2012: For his General News photo story called "Battle for Libya".
Exhibits of His Work
- Hommage à Rémi Ochlik ('Homage to Rémi Ochlik'), La Médiathèque de Florange, France, 2012.
- Revolutions: Photographs of the Arab Spring, Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University, Boston, USA, 2013.
See also
- List of journalists killed during the Syrian Civil War
- List of photojournalists
