Photo Nomad

by David Douglas Duncan

A unique autobiography in images from seven decades of Duncan's photographic career. The legendary photographs of David Douglas Duncan explore the broad range of human nature, from the most quiet notes of life to the crashing crescendos of war. Duncan began taking pictures for newspapers in the mid-1930s, then joined the Marines, where he produced some of the most moving images of World War II. With Life magazine, he documented the end of British rule in India and covered conflicts in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Korea with clarity and compassion. Returning to the battlefield with the escalation of war in Vietnam, he produced two more books that became icons of the American soldiers' experience.

Since then, he has produced books on such diverse subjects as Picasso's making of a painting to the sunflowers of France, with forays into the world of tragic personal loss. Still exuberant in his eighth decade, Duncan's keen eye and heart continue to illuminate the human experience. Over 400 photographs in color and duotone

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction, History

464 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

David Douglas Duncan (January 23, 1916 – June 7, 2018) was an American photojournalist.

He is best known for his dramatic combat photographs of the Second World War, the Korean & Vietnam wars, as well as for his extensive domestic photography of Pablo Picasso.

Duncan turned 100 in January 2016 and died in June 2018 in Grasse, France, aged 102.
In 2021, Duncan was posthumously inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

In all honesty, the text in this book is awful. It's largely incomprehensible and contains numerous typos. However, this book is about photography and it's heavy on pictures and light on text. I advise the reader to get what you can from the text, enjoy the pictures, and if something piques your interest, it's probably only an internet search away to figure out what the author was talking about.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was moved by the heartbreaking, beautiful photographs, but the stream-of-consciousness captions/poetry would have been better suited for his diary, not a publication

[Scott Meadows · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating photography and life on film. Especially love that he’s a native KCMO man like me. Stream of consciousness captions left most wanting. Definitely worth 5 dollars at a thrift store.

[Dark Star · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pictures...brilliant and captivating. The writing though. Ugh. Like scattering thoughts.

[Wyatt Starr · Rating 4 out of 5]

His writing style is similar to my grandfather’s who was also a veteran

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many great photos, but I didn't need all the pictures of his dogs. The text is so chaotic as to be unreadable.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The photos are INCREDIBLE, 5+ stars easily. The text, however, is infuriatingly exasperatingly unreadable. Halfway through the book, I found myself wanting to cover up any visible text so I wouldn't be distracted by whatever was vaguely conveyed -- most the time, the text obscured more than it illuminated; when I wanted some sort of caption for the photograph, maybe there'd be something written nearby, but rarely would it be helpful. I think the writing would have meaning if DDD were my uncle or grandpa and this was his scrapbook -- but lacking that kin connection, I really really really wish the book stuck to photos only. Because the photos are awesome.

[Brian Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

The text of this self-curated retrospective of renowned photographer David Douglas Duncan (one of my photojournalist heroes) is really too incoherent for anyone not already well acquainted with both 20th-century history plus 20th-century photojournalism. But with those caveats, the collection & first-person narrative is priceless.

[Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not really a "reader" its a book of photos by David Douglas Duncan, a great photojournalist, and tidbits of his wisdom about shooting...informative for those who want to learn or improve their skills...

[Nux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very strong pictures, very strong words. Amazing. An expression perfectly captured, a young man that should be preparing himself for a bright future, instead being trapped in a war... "If I were God, what would you want for christmas? His answer took almost forever... 'Give me Tomorrow'"

[Steven Monrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

His own minimal text, and favorite images - voluminous, wars, celebrities, his own life. Amazing.

[Bob Peru · Rating 4 out of 5]

legend.

[Justin Hoste · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great glimpse of a lifetime of photographic work. It gives you a real sense of how Duncan started and how his photography got better over the years. A great visual read.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing photography. DDD's personal annotations for each photo (written to mimic his own speaking style) are almost unreadable though.

[Tiago · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure photojournalism and some lines of text. Duncan's evolution and life of work. Highly recommended for photography lovers.

[Don Heiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This autobiographic photo-bio is brilliant and inspiring. The book proves that pictures are worth thousands of words.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good photos but found the writing exclusive in nature and problematic.

[Vander Alves · Rating 3 out of 5]

The photographs here are stunning art of high quality and variety, spanning war glimpses, sea monsters and charming men with dogs—the text is witless.