It is with sadness that I note the passing of noted photojournalist Jack Kurtz. I had the good fortune to meet and travel with Jack through Nepal in 2017 as part of a small group photographic adventure/workshop. Jack was what I thought of as an “old school” photojournalist, with a 30 year plus career which included working for various newspapers in the USA and travelling widely outside the US as well.
He struck me as a warm, sincere man, generous with his time and knowledge. He described himself as “an independent photojournalist specializing in documentary travel photography and photo reportage”. Simple, unpretentious and to the point.
Jack passed away on 19th October (aged 64) following a lengthy experience with cancer. I use the word “experience”, not the word “battle”. Jack himself, having exhausted all viable treatment options, described his final months as an “incremental death”.
Following Jack’s death, Cathy, his wife of 40 years, posted on social media:
Our desire is for everyone to find one of his photo galleries and explore the world. Be challenged and inspired. https://kurtzjack.photoshelter.com/archive and www.jackkurtzphotography.com/index
Jack was passionate about independent journalism. Again from Cathy:
One of Jack’s last acts was making arrangements for his ongoing royalties to be donated to help future international journalists. A firm believer in freedom of the press he will continue to support this with his royalties going to: Reporters without Borders: www.RSF.org
Finally, I’ll finish by linking to a presentation by Gavin Gough, a long time friend and colleague of Jack.