Photographers

Burk Uzzle (born August 4, 1938 in Raleigh, North Carolina) is an American photojournalist whose career spans more than six decades. At age twenty‑three, he became the youngest contract photographer ever hired by LIFE Magazine, launching a prolific career rooted in documentary photography and humanist storytelling.

Uzzle was a member of Magnum Photos for sixteen years and served as its President from 1979 to 1980. During this period he produced some of the most recognizable images of the twentieth century, including the iconic photograph of a young couple embracing at dawn during the 1969 Woodstock Festival, as well as moving documentation of the assassination and funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His work also includes powerful portrayals of Cambodian war refugees and marginalized communities around the world.

In recent years, Uzzle has turned his lens toward issues of social justice and the cultural life of small-town America. Now based in Wilson, North Carolina, he works from two renovated industrial buildings that house his studio, archive, and gallery. His life and philosophy were the subject of the 2020 documentary “F11 and Be There,” which explores his belief in photography as both craft and compassionate witness.

Uzzle’s archive reflects a vast record of American history, culture, and humanity, extending from the analog era to the present. His work continues to be exhibited internationally and held in major museum collections. He remains a vital figure in contemporary American photography, known for images that blend empathy, clarity, and an unmistakable visual voice.