Article

Kryn Taconis

Published Online February 6, 2008

Last Edited December 15, 2013

Kryn Taconis, photographer (b at Rotterdam, Holland 7 May 1918; d at Toronto 12 July 1979). In the 1960s and 1970s, he became one of Canada's leading photojournalists, known for his integrity and compassion. The outbreak of WWII shaped his career in still photography.

Taconis, Kryn

Kryn Taconis, photographer (b at Rotterdam, Holland 7 May 1918; d at Toronto 12 July 1979). In the 1960s and 1970s, he became one of Canada's leading photojournalists, known for his integrity and compassion. The outbreak of WWII shaped his career in still photography. He joined the Dutch resistance movement and clandestinely recorded the appalling suffering resulting from acute food shortages. In 1950 he became a member of the free-lance photo agency Magnum. He travelled throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Australia, and his work appeared in the great picture magazines of the day, including Life and Paris-Match. In 1959 Taconis and his wife moved to Toronto, where he began to free-lance for publications such as the Star Weekly. He also worked for the National Film Board for 3 years. Among his best-known Canadian work is a photo-essay of HUTTERITE communities in the West.