George Rodger

George Rodger (1908-1995) was a British photojournalist noted for his work in Africa, and for taking the first photographs of the death camps at Bergen-Belsen at the end of the Second World War.

Related Topics:
1908 - 1995 - British - Photojournalist - Africa - Bergen-Belsen - Second World War

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Born in Hale, Cheshire, Rodger went to school at St. Bees College then joined the British Merchant Navy and sailed around the world. Whilst sailing the seas, Rodger wrote accounts of his travels and taught himself photography to illustrate his traveloges. However, he was unable to get his travel writing published and after a short spell in America, where he failed to find work during the Depression, he returned to Britain in 1936. In London he was fortunate to find work as a photographer for the BBC's The Listener magazine, which was followed in 1938 by a brief stint working for the Black Star Agency.

Related Topics:
Hale, Cheshire - Merchant Navy - Depression - 1936 - BBC - The Listener - 1938 - Black Star Agency

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With the outbreak of the Second World War, Rodger had a strong urge to chronical the war. His photographs of the Blitz gained him a job as a war correspondent for Life magazine. He covered the war in West Africa extensively and towards the end of the war followed the allied liberation of France, Belgium and Holland.

Related Topics:
Second World War - The Blitz - Life magazine - France - Belgium - Holland

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Most notably, Rodger was the first photographer to enter the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen in 1945. His photographs of the few survivors and piles of corpses were published in Life and Time magazines and proved to be highly influential in showing the reality of the death camps. Rodger later recalled how, after spending several hours at the camp, he was appalled to realise that he had spent most of the time looking for graphically pleasing compositions of the piles of bodies lying amoungst the trees and buildings.

Related Topics:
Concentration camp - Bergen-Belsen - 1945 - Time

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This traumatic experience lead Roger to conclude that he couldn't work as a war correspondent again. Leaving Life magazine he travelled throughout Africa and the Middle East.

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In 1947 he became a founder member of Magnum Photos and over the next thirty years worked as a freelance photographer, taking on many expeditions and assignments to photograph the people, landscape and nature of Africa. Much of Rodger photojournalism in Africa was published in National Geographic as well as other magazines and newspapers.

Related Topics:
1947 - Magnum Photos - Freelance - National Geographic

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