Born in Bordeaux in 1929, Marc Flament enlisted in the army at the age of eighteen and joined the colonial parachutists in French Indochina until 1956. During these years, he produced many cartoons tor the Caravelle newspaper.
He reenlisted in Algeria in 1956, and was mistakenly allocated to the 10th parachute division in Algiers as a photographer, though he had no experience in this field. Photography became a passion which perfectly matched his strong taste for action and adventure: appointed as Lieutenant-Colonel Bigeard’s official photographer in 1957, he took part in all the parachutists’ and commando groups’ operations. He produced over 30,000 images of the conflict until 1961, depicting the men of the 3rd Colonial Parachute Regiment (RPC), often from a heroic, aestheticised viewpoint.
His images, produced outside the scope of the 5e Bureau intelligence and propaganda unit, escaped the filter of institutional censorship.
Widely used and circulated locally, they sometimes reflect the toughness of the arrests, searches and conflict.
His work is marked by both original formal research and a striking 
empathy with his subjects. He produced in turn many touching portraits of children and images that sublimate the suffering and helplessness of the parachutists: the photograph of the death of the young Jacques Schneidenbach has similarities with certain representations of the Lamentation of Christ.
Photos credits : © ECPAD / Marc Flament
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