Christopher Morris (born 1958) is an American photojournalist best known for his documentary conflict photographs, being a

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

photographer, a fashion photographer, and a film director.

Life and work

Morris was born in 1958 in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. In 1980, he earned a photography bachelor of science degree from

the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale is a former for-profit art and culinary school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida which closed in 2018. The school was one of a number of Art Institutes, a franchise of for-profit art colleges with many branches in N ...

. He was appointed ''runner'' by '' Black Star'' director Howard Chapnick. In 1981, during six months, he documented the underground world of the New York City Subway in a photo essay published 33 years later in ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

''.

War photographer

In 1983, during the

civil conflict in the Philippines The civil conflict in the Philippines as of February 2019, consists of an insurgency pitting government forces against Maoist rebels, that began in 1969 during the rule of Ferdinand Marcos. *the communist rebellion in the Philippines *the Mor ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

, Morris started covering world news as documentary conflict photographer for ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

''. In 1989 - 1990, he documented the

United States invasion of Panama The United States invasion of Panama, codenamed Operation Just Cause, lasted over a month between mid-December 1989 and late January 1990. It occurred during the administration of President George H. W. Bush and ten years after the Torrijos� ...

. CBS News and RAI broadcast his short movie. He won one of his first prizes

World Press Photo World Press Photo Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955, the organization is known for holding an annual press photography contest. Since 2011, World Press Photo has organized a ...

awards for "Casualties of '' Just Cause'', Panama." On March 4, 1991, near the front of the Persian

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

, his photograph of a U.S. Marine holding the American flag above his shoulders made the front cover of ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

''. During nine years, he covered the war in the former ''

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

''. In Perpignan, his photo essay won the Visa d'Or award. However Grazia Neri wrote: "It was in Yugoslavia that the daily exposure to the war on civilians started to weigh heavily on him, on his person, on his soul, and on his photography." In May 1992, he has been named the recipient of the 1991

Robert Capa Gold Medal The Robert Capa Gold Medal is an award for "best published photographic reporting from abroad requiring exceptional courage and enterprise". It is awarded annually by the Overseas Press Club of America (OPC). It was created in honor of the war photo ...

for his coverage of " Slaughter in Vukovar". About the

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompani ...

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Oc ...

during the war in

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

, he said that he did not wish to live again such an experience. In 1995, he captured movement in a photograph of a Chechen fighter running outside of the demolished presidential palace during the battle of Grozny of the first Chechen War: "At that moment that's the most dangerous place on earth. I'm not sitting there saying, 'Oh, I'm going to shoot slow shutter speeds and I'm going to zoom it!'" Morris said. "You're just shooting." 1998 was the year of the

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

assignment. In 2000, the

second Chechen War The Second Chechen War (russian: Втора́я чече́нская война́, ) took place in Chechnya and the border regions of the North Caucasus between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from August 1999 ...

was the turning point of his career of ''"war shooter"'': VII Photo Agency logo

In 2001, he provided coverage of the

terrorism in Yemen In its war on terrorism in Yemen, the US government describes Yemen as "an important partner in the global war on terrorism".

and the

2003 invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...

. In 2011, he documented the

Libyan Civil War Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. The ...

and, in 2012, the

Plan Colombia Plan Colombia was a United States foreign aid, military aid, and diplomatic initiative aimed at combating Colombian drug cartels and left-wing insurgent groups in Colombia. The plan was originally conceived in 1999 by the administrations of Col ...

. Morris, who was commissioned by ''Black Star'' in 1988 to document the

Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Sovie ...

, photographed 24 years later for ''Time/VII'' the parents of the POW

Bowe Bergdahl Beaudry Robert "Bowe" Bergdahl (born March 28, 1986) is a United States Army soldier who was held captive from 2009 to 2014 by the Taliban-aligned Haqqani network in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Bergdahl was captured after deserting his post on Ju ...

, captured in 2009 during the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...

Political photographer

In 2000, in United States, as member of the

pool Pool may refer to: Water pool * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a rocky po ...

, he covered the presidencies of

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

and

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

for ''Time''. In 2013, in France, he documented the presidency of François Hollande for ''

Le Monde ''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...

''. For ''

Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...

'', he provided coverage of the political campaign race to conquer the Paris city hall for the first time between two women:

Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet Nathalie Geneviève Marie Kosciusko-Morizet () (born 14 May 1973 in the 15th arrondissement of Paris), often referred to by her initials NKM, is an engineer, public figure and advocate, having previously had a political career. She was a Membe ...

and

Anne Hidalgo Ana María "Anne" Hidalgo Aleu (, ; born 1959) is a Spanish-French politician who has served as Mayor of Paris since 2014, the first woman to hold the office. She is a member of the Socialist Party. Hidalgo served as First Deputy Mayor of Paris ...

who both campaigned to become

Mayor of Paris The Mayor of Paris (french: Maire de Paris) is the chief executive of Paris, the capital and largest city in France. The officeholder is responsible for the administration and management of the city, submits proposals and recommendations to the C ...

. On February 29, 2016, Morris was involved in an altercation with a United States Secret Service agent while photographing a

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police br ...

protest at a campaign rally at Radford University in Virginia. Morris cursed at the Secret Service agent moments prior to the physical confrontation. The agent grabbing the photographer's neck with both hands and threw him into a table and onto the ground. While lying on the ground, Morris kicked at the agent. Morris grabbed at the agent's neck which Morris stated was to demonstrate the choke hold he had just experienced. The Secret Service launched an investigation into the incident, a spokesman said, and would "provide further details as warranted once additional facts surrounding the situation are known."

Books

In 2006, Morris published his photographic monograph, ''My America'', a personal journey through portraits and landscapes into a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

America. This book of photographies was produced while on assignment for ''Time'' covering U.S. president George W. Bush and those close to him. In 2012, Morris continued his series about the American society with his second book ''Americans''.

Movie director

In 2007, for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', Morris directed the short film ''The Gentle Shepherd'' about the pastor Terry Fox at the ''Wild West World'' theme park in Wichita. For ''Time LightBox'', in 2013, Morris directed, edited and produced the short film ''Conclave'' about people waiting, in

St. Peter's Square Saint Peter's Square ( la, Forum Sancti Petri, it, Piazza San Pietro ,) is a large plaza located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the papal enclave inside Rome, directly west of the neighborhood ( rione) of Borgo. B ...

, for the announcement of the new Pope. In 2016, he introduced a new way to film the United States presidential candidates’ rallies using a high-speed camera, his short movies being played back in slow-motion.

Fashion photographer

In 2008, his book ''My America'' is noticed by the editor in chief of the Italian fashion magazine '' Amica'' who hired him for a Ralph Lauren shooting in New York. In 2010, he photographed Carmen Jalving and

Isabella Rossellini Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (born 18 June 1952) is an Italian-American actress, author, philanthropist, and model. The daughter of the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and the Italian film director Roberto Rossellini, she is noted ...

for ''Amica''. At the

Tampa Bay Times Forum Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough Coun ...

, he attended the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa for a shooting featuring Heidi Harrington Johnson in the editorial ''Beyond the conventions'' ("Au-delà des conventions") of the French magazine ''

L'Officiel ''L'Officiel'' () is a French fashion magazine with a USA edition. It has been published in Paris since 1921 and targets upper-income, educated women aged from 25 to 49. In 2006, it had a circulation of 101,719. A men's edition of ''L'Officiel'', ' ...

'' Paris, issue #970, published in November. In 2013, Dior-clad Marta Dyks was his model during the Haute Couture shows in Paris for ''L'Officiel'', issue #973 of March.

Portrait photographer

In 2008, Morris photographed the American rock band ''

The Killers The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...

'':

Mark Stoermer Mark August Stoermer (born June 28, 1977) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the bassist for the rock band the Killers, with whom he has recorded six studio albums. In addition to his work with the Killers, Stoermer ha ...

Brandon Flowers Brandon Richard Flowers (born June 21, 1981) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and philanthropist, best known as the lead singer, keyboardist, and occasional bassist of the Las Vegas-based rock band the Killers. In addition to his ...

Ronnie Vannucci, Jr. Ronald Vannucci Jr. (born February 15, 1976) is an American musician, best known for being the drummer for the rock band the Killers. Vannucci is also involved in a side project called Big Talk, and became the drummer of the Rentals in 2018. ...

, and

Dave Keuning David Brent Keuning (born March 28, 1976) is an American musician, best known for his role as the lead guitarist of the rock band The Killers, which he founded alongside Brandon Flowers in 2001 and with whom he has recorded six studio albums. K ...

near

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. In 2011, ''Monastery Girl'' featuring Ilaria Pozzi in Italy was a personal project. In 2015,

Laetitia Casta Laetitia Marie Laure Casta (; born 11 May 1978)FMD profile
Retrieved 4 December 2009. is a ...

opened her doors for him in Lumio about the ''

Paris Match ''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly news magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. History and profile A sports news magazine, ''Match l'intran'' (a play on '' L'Intransigeant ...

'' editorial ''The independent'' ("L'indépendante"). This French language weekly news magazine quoted the name of the photographer directly in the title of an associated article, attracting the attention of readers who wished to know more about him.

Still photographer

In August 2015, on the shooting of the movie '' En Moi'', Morris photographed the instant where the Dutch model Lara Stone is become actress for her first leading role of ''the woman''. He captured on film the moment where the French actress Laetitia Casta is become film director for the first time. He was the witness of the metamorphosis of the Japanese actor

Akaji Maro is a Japanese actor, Butoka, and theater director. Early life In 1943, Maro was born in Sakurai, Nara, Japan. Career Maro's film career began in 1980. As an actor, Maro has over 42 film. In 1972 Maro is the founder of Dairakudakan Tempute ...

in his role of ''the man of service'' into the

butoh is a form of Japanese dance theatre that encompasses a diverse range of activities, techniques and motivations for dance, performance, or movement. Following World War II, butoh arose in 1959 through collaborations between its two key founde ...

-dancer in the Palais Garnier where the French

Danseur Étoile A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...

Jérémie Bélingard interpreted ''the lover'' of ''the woman'' in front of the camera of the French film cinematographer Benoît Delhomme.

Street photographer

In his early career, Morris often photographed candidly in urban settings, particularly in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. In 2014, his 1981 series from the New York Subway was published for the first time in

. Over a six-month period that year, Morris had embedded himself in the subway system, often riding the trains alone, but other times riding with the

Guardian Angels A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played a major role in ...

volunteer anti-crime group.

Publications

*''My America.'' Göttingen:

Steidl Steidl is a German-language publisher, an international publisher of photobooks, and a printing company, based in Göttingen, Germany. It was started in 1968 by Gerhard Steidl and is still run by him. Overview The company was started by Ger ...

, 2006. . *''Americans.'' Göttingen: Steidl, 2012. .

Exhibitions

* 2013: ''From War & Politics to Fashion'', Berlin Foto-Festival

Filmography

Short films directed by Morris:

People of Power

* 2006: ''The Dear Leader'' * 2009: ''Obama’s War'', ''Obama’s Burden'', ''The New Leader'' * 2011: ''Oval Of Power'' * 2016: the candidates’ rallies for ''Time'': ''Bernie'', ''Cruz'', ''Hillary'', ''Jeb'', ''Marco'', ''Trump''

Religion

In Wichita: * 2007: ''The Gentle Shepherd'' In

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

: * 2011: '' Beatus'' * 2013: ''

Conclave A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Co ...

'' in

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

Fashion

For ''Amica'': * 2009: ''

Givenchy Givenchy (, ) is a French luxury fashion and perfume house. It hosts the brand of haute couture and ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics of Parfums Givenchy. The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de ...

, “The Dress”'' * 2011: ''“Planet Queen”

Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French high-end luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ranging from luxury bags and leather ...

'', Anastasiya Bondarenko in '' Chanel Couture'', ''Dior Couture'' in Paris * 2011: ''“Deranged” Carmen in

Roberto Cavalli Roberto Cavalli (; born 15 November 1940) is an Italian fashion designer and inventor. He is known for exotic prints and for creating the sand-blasted look for jeans. The high-end Italian fashion house Roberto Cavalli sells luxury clothing, per ...

'' featuring Carmen Jalving in Èze * 2012: ''Sasha'' with Sasha Melnycuck For ''Time'': * 2012: ''Can You See Her'' featuring Katryn Kruger, Elena Bartels, Zuanna Bijoch, Irina Nikolaeva, Aline Weber, Alex Yuryeva, Olga Sherer in Paris For ''Le Monde'': * 2012: ''“La Robe” Serkan Cura'', ''“La Robe”

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978 known for flashy prints and bright colors. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as ...

'', '' Valentino’s Atelier'', ''On Aura Tout Vu'', ''Just Look'' in Paris For ''

InStyle ''InStyle'' was an American monthly women's fashion magazine founded in 1994. It was published in the United States by Dotdash Meredith. In February 2022, it was announced that InStyle would cease print publications and move to a digital-only f ...

'' UK: * 2012: ''“Turn Away” for Roberto Cavalli'' in Milan For ''Fragrance Inspirations'': * 2014: '' Phantom Portraits'' in slow motion in Paris

Mood

* 2010: ''The Black Tide'' off the

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

coast * 2011: ''Temporal'' from

Arles Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of ...

to Nice

Awards

Morris, commissioned by ''Black Star'', won: * In 1990, the 2nd prize World Press Photo Award, section Spot News Series for "Casualties of ''Just Cause'', Panama." For ''Time'', the two following prizes: * In 1991, the Olivier Rebbot award. * In 1992, the 1991 Robert Capa Gold Medal for "Slaughter in Vukovar". His other awards included: * In 1992, the Magazine Photographer of the Year award from Pictures of the Year International. * The Infinity Photojournalist awards from the International Center of Photography, New York. * The Visa d'Or award, section News for ''Yugoslav Wars''. * In 2004, the 2nd prize National Press Photographers Association's Best Of Photojournalism Contest, section Magazine News Picture Story. * In 2005, the Feature photography Overseas Press Club: "Inside the Hermit Kingdom". * The 1st prize World Press Photo Award, section: people in the stories.

Notes

References

External links

Official websiteVII Photo Agency Bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Christopher American photojournalists War photographers 1958 births Living people American film directors Photographers from California 21st-century American photographers Fashion photographers American portrait photographers VII Photo Agency photographers