Stop asking so many questions!” his parents would scold, and they would give him a smack. But Philip Jones Griffiths found a way of turning his curiosity about the world into a career, becoming an even greater nuisance in the process. His 1971 book Vietnam Inc, a blistering testament to the reality of the conflict, helped embarrass America into a rethink; Agent Orange, published in 2003, highlighted the horrific legacy of the chemicals sprayed on South Vietnam, the continuing suffering decades after the official end of the war.

His overseas photojournalism for The Sunday Times Magazine and other publications made him famous, but the pictures he took in post-war Britain, some when he was still a teenager, are equally revealing. “Things are always more interesting when they’re in transition,” he says. “A kid growing up; a relationship on the blink…” Britain was shifting from austerity to consumerism. “People couldn’t believe it – the first reaction to supermarkets was to pity the poor owner, because it would be so easy to steal everything. There was a morality that had to be got rid of before they could really start exploiting people.”

He was born in 1936 in north Wales, a sceptic from the start. “I was the kind of kid who, when another boy said, ‘Mine is bigger than yours,’ would say, ‘Show me!’ I always had to see for myself.” He debunked “Father Christmas” by booby-trapping his bedroom door; when US soldiers gave him a Mars bar during rationing he was instantly wary: “Why are they doing it?” His fondness for blowing things up made his parents steer him into becoming a pharmacist, but his thirst for knowledge found its focus in photography, and by 1962 he was covering the war for independence in Algeria. “It was the ultimate education.”

After living in the US for 30 years, he has harsh views on modern Britain: we’re dumbed-down, too materialistic, and something has been lost. “People are no longer in touch with themselves; they lead alienated lives.” He was “buoyed up with happiness” in Cambodia recently when a western-style pop group performed to universal bemusement. “They stood there watching the pelvic thrusts, showing no interest at all. Not a twitch!” He grins wickedly. It’s amazing he’s still here, after getting so close to the action all over the world. He once faced execution in Rhodesia (“They put a hood over my head and took me out to shoot me. They missed. I was proud I didn’t shit myself”). He has cancer, which has spread from his colon, so he now functions on a fraction of a liver, three-quarters of a lung, a macrobiotic diet and chemotherapy. He recently had to spend weeks in hospital wearing an oxygen mask; he got through it, he says, pleased with himself. “I love life, I love getting out there.” He is off to Syria now to see his American daughter (he has two daughters from long-term relationships; it was his British daughter who suggested he put this work on show).

“I’ve been too busy taking pictures to worry about the old stuff. I always felt it was important to keep shooting as long as possible.” He returns to his subjects obsessively, and has a trip to Cambodia planned for July. “I’m happy to still be alive. I’m not afraid to die, never have been. But I’m enjoying myself too much. So I’ll just carry on running around the world. I don’t give up.” s

The exhibition Philip Jones Griffiths: Middle Years — part of Photo-London UK — is at the Trolley Gallery, 73A Redchurch Street, London E2, from May 31 to June 24. Philip Jones Griffiths’s book Vietnam at Peace (£40, www.trolleybooks.com), is available for £36, including p&p, from The Sunday Times BooksFirst, tel: 0870 165 8585

The Pilsner Urquell International Photography Awards competition

A new photography award, for UK professionals and amateurs alike, is offering a $5,000 prize. The Pilsner Urquell International Photography Awards, regarded as the photographers’ Oscars, have a new category, entitled Deeper Perspective. Entrants are asked to combine a photograph with a written narrative to show how their “deeper perspective” offers a unique insight into today’s world. The winner will be invited to attend the prestigious Lucie Awards in New York, to compete for the title of International Deeper Perspective Photographer of the Year. The final Deeper Perspective winner will receive a Lucie trophy and 5,000 US dollars provided by Pilsner Urquell. (The competition is open to UK residents aged 21 and over, and other conditions apply. Visit www.photoawards.com for further details.)

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