Elliot Erwitt, the French/American photographer died on 29th November 2023 at the age of 95 in New York. He was a major influence for many, including myself, and his humour and dedication to his craft stood out. Among the many things he said about photography which rang true was his assertion the "Colour is descriptive. Black and white is interpretive." Who could disagree ?

Born in Paris in 1928 to Russian orthodox Jewish parents who had fled Russia during the 1917 revolution, the young Elliot was taken to Italy soon after and then, in 1937, his parents fled to America as the war in Europe began. After studying film and photography in Los Angeles he worked in a commercial darkroom before returning to New York and being drafted into the army. In France and Germany he worked as a photographers assistant and met Robert Capa (who invited him to join the Magnum Agency in 1953 ) as well as Edward Steichen and Roy Stryker. All three proved lasting influences in his work and it was Stryker who gave him his first commercial job on a project for Standard Oil.

Erwitt never specialised taking work that interested him. He photographed many famous people from Richard Nixon and Marilyn Monroe to Marlene Dietrich and Barak Obama. One of his most famous reportage pictures was taken at the funeral of JFK.

However he became more famous with his photographs of dogs and his wry observations of life on the streets of New York. He published twenty books during his lifetime and was exhibited many times worldwide. His most recent exhibition was a retrospective in Paris in 2023. His work remains in many gallery and museum collections across the globe.

His work as a photographer sometimes overshadows his film-making although he won prizes for the film The Glass-makers of Herat, Afghanistan and made a significant film about director Arthur Penn.

He was married four times and is survived by six children, ten grand-children and three great- grandchildren.