Gorup de Besanez

Josef Koudelka

Photographer

Czech·b. 1938·Website ↗

Known for:

Gypsies (1975) and his clandestine photographs of the 1968 Prague invasion

Education:

Czech Technical University, Prague (aeronautical engineering); self-taught in photography

Josef Koudelka photographed the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968 from the streets of Prague, smuggling the negatives out of the country; the images were distributed internationally under the initials P.P. to protect his identity. He defected to the West in 1970 and joined Magnum Photos in 1974. His book Gypsies (1975), made over eight years traveling through Eastern Europe, is among the most sustained and formally rigorous documentary projects in the medium's history.

Josef Koudelka's Gear List(3)

Fujifilm GX617

Fujifilm

Connection Source

MagnumphotosWebsite

Connection note

Wide-format 6x17cm panoramic film camera used for landscape work before digital

Product description

A panoramic medium format film camera introduced by Fuji in 1993, capturing 6x17cm images on 120 or 220 roll film. It features interchangeable lens modules with Copal shutters and has become a highly sought-after tool for landscape photographers.

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Last updated June 9, 2026

Connection note

Leica built a unique panoramic version of the S2 exclusively for Koudelka when he moved to digital

Product description

A one-of-a-kind custom medium-format digital camera built by Leica specifically for Josef Koudelka around 2013. Based on the Leica S2, Leica modified it to capture panoramic images by cropping the sensor to replicate the wide aspect ratio Koudelka was known for in his film panoramic work. Never commercially produced.

Kodak Tri-X 400

Kodak

Connection Source

AboutphotographyBook

Connection note

"Gypsies" (1975) and the Prague 1968 work were shot on Tri-X; the film's latitude allowed for the available-light conditions and rapid, unplanned shooting that characterize his documentary work.

Product description

In production since 1954, Tri-X 400 is a black-and-white film whose grain structure, broad exposure latitude, and response to push processing made it the dominant film in photojournalism and street photography for decades.

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