PASSINGS

Devastating news in the world of journalism.

Tim Hetherington, 41, photojournalist, filmmaker, and a contributing photographer at Vanity Fair, perished in Libya while on assignment.

From the Conde Nast-owned magazine:

The U.K.-born, Brooklyn-based Hetherington, 40, who had dual British and American citizenship, was best known for his work in Afghanistan, much of it shot for Vanity Fair. In 2007, he won the coveted World Press Photo of the Year Award for his coverage of American soldiers in the Korengal Valley—one of three World Press prizes he received. Those assignments in Afghanistan served as the basis of the 2010 Oscar-nominated documentary Restrepo, which he directed with Vanity Fair contributor (and his long-time journalistic collaborator) Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm. The film was recognized for its decidedly apolitical approach to the war. Hetherington also created short films about the G.I.’s he encountered in the Korengal and released a book of photographs, Infidel, examining the lives of the men of a battle company of the 173rd Airborne.

Hetherington was widely respected by his peers for his bravery and camaraderie. His imaginative, even artistic, approach to photojournalistic subjects led to many honors, including a fellowship from the National Endowment for Science, Technology, and the Arts as well as grant from the Hasselbald Foundation. He released two other films, Liberia: An Uncivil War (2004) and The Devil Came on Horseback (2007).

Selected portfolios and articles by Tim Hetherington on vanityfair.com:
• “Portraits of the Korengal” (January 2008): Men of Second Platoon, Battle Company, of the Second Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team
• “More Portraits of the Korengal.” (October 2008)
• “The Honor of His Company” (December 2010): Spotlight of Medal of Honor winner Salvatore Giunta.

A side note update:

In May's GQ, Hetherington has an editorial in the men's magazine. We gather this may be one of the last stories that he filed before leaving for Libya.

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