Marie-Laure de Decker, the French model who stepped behind the camera to become an internationally recognised war photographer, has died at the age of 75.
She covered the Vietnam War early in her career, shot all over Africa but also took portraits of artists such as Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp. She was an enthusiastic and courageous photographer with real personal contact with the people she photographed. De Decker is also known for her photos of celebrities such as actors Catherine Deneuve and Charlotte Rampling, singer Serge Gainsbourg, Caroline of Monaco and France’s former president, Valery Giscard d’Estaing.
The money from these photos helped finance her missions in conflict zones, she said.
“When you take photos of the poor, no one’s interested. You have to take photos of the rich to sell (them).”
Source Paris (AFP)
