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Jeff Widener (born August 11, 1956) is an American photojournalist. He has covered assignments in over 100 countries involving civil unrest, wars, and social issues. Widener is best known for his image of the Tank Man confronting a column of tanks in Tiananmen Square in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, which made him a nominated finalist for the 1990 Pulitzer.
Early life
Widener was born August 11, 1956, in Long Beach, California. He grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Southern California, outside of Los Angeles. When he was six years old, he became interested in photography after meeting his father's friend who worked for Life.
He attended Cleveland High School in Northridge, California where he took his first photography class before transferring to Reseda High School for his senior year to study photography under Warren King. Other assignments included East Timor, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Burma, Syria, Jordan, India, Laos, Vietnam, Pakistan, and many more.
In 1995, he returned to Miami, working as a staff photographer for United Press International. He left that position in 1997, working as a staff photographer for The Honolulu Advertiser from 1997 to 2010.
Through the years, he has covered assignments in over 100 countries involving civil unrest, wars, and social issues, as well as the South Pole.
Awards
- 1980 – Photographer of the Year, Nevada State Press Photographer's Association
- 2008 – Finalist for "Homeless of the Waianae Coasth", Annual Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism