AN INTERVIEW WITH NICK UT


Monday February 1, 2021


By ROBERT WOMACK FROM HOLLYWOOD TO ASIA Photojournalist, Pulitzer Prize Winner, World Press Photo of the Year, and of the National Medal of Arts It is no doubt important to give some historical information on Nick Ut before delving into the interview. For those readers who are not familiar with Nick Ut’s work, he has had a long career as a photojournalist who covered the Vietnam War. Nick Ut worked for the Associated Press (AP) for 51 years before retiring; but as he puts it, he has never really retired from photography. The following is a condensed background on Nick Ut. Nick Ut, as he is known professionally, was born Huynh Cong Ut in Long An, Vietnam on March 29, 1951. Nick, or “Nicky” as his close friends and acquaintances call him, was just 14 when his brother Huynh Thanh My, who worked as a photojournalist for the Associated Press was killed in 1965. Nick asked if he could also work for the AP but was told he was too young, and that they didn’t want him to die as his brother had. Finally, the wife his of brother took him to AP in Saigon when he was 15, and again she asked for Nick to be a photojournalist. They reluctantly agreed to give him a job in the darkroom cleaning and mixing chemicals. Young Nick liked this job and learned a great deal about photography. His mentor was his boss, Horst Faas, also a two time winner of the Pulitzer Prize. However, his heart was set on being a combat photojournalist. Young Nicky took photographs around Saigon and showed AP his work. They liked his work so much that they finally allowed him to go out in the field as a photojournalist, just as the war...... Read more on Full Issue!



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