Gordon M. Grant discovered his passion for photography at an early age. When he was still a student at East Hampton High School, “and before he even had a driver’s license, his mother would drive him to house fires, car accidents, and breaking news scenes throughout East Hampton so he could document events as they unfolded,” his family recalled.
He began contributing to local papers including The East Hampton Star when he was still in high school. His photographs continued to appear in The Star into the early 1990s.
At the age of 20, he was recruited to join the team launching a new East End publication, The Independent, where he ran the photography department and “was integral in not only the content but guiding the publication through film-based images” and into “the digital world,” his family said. He was also a partner in the South Fork Photography Agency, which sold stock images of the area to major publications around the world.
Mr. Grant, a lifelong Springs resident, died on Friday. He was 53 and had been ill with colon cancer for seven years.
He is survived by his wife, Michelle Grant, two daughters, Bailey Grant of Arlington, Va., and Jameson Grant of Springs, his father, Gary L. Grant, and two siblings, John B. Grant of Springs and Meghan G. Barton of Phoenix, Md. His mother, Sue Bailey Grant, died before him.
Mr. Grant was born on March 17, 1972. After graduating from high school here, he attended the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he studied photography and developed a love for sports photography. He shot collegiate and professional teams, covering sports ranging from P.G.A. golf to equestrian competitions to football.
As a photojournalist, he traveled around this country and abroad, documenting current events during at least two presidencies and turning his lens on the Troubles in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He had a talent for capturing images that were compelling for their content and artistic in their presentation. His work was featured in The New York Times, Newsday, The New York Post, and other New York publications.
In 1997, when he was just 25, a photograph of his documenting the men’s religious movement known as the Promise Keepers during a rally in Washington, D.C., was used on the cover of Time magazine. It was “a rare and prestigious honor that brought his work to a global audience,” his family said.
“His wife, Michelle, was unquestionably the love of his life, his constant partner, and source of strength. Gordon was a deeply devoted father, and his daughters, Bailey and Jameson, were his pride and joy. He took immense pride in being present for them, cheering them on, and sharing everyday moments that mattered most.”
Mr. Grant “was known for his laid-back demeanor and dry, understated sense of humor, often delivering perfectly timed remarks that brought levity to intense moments during his battle with cancer,” his family said.
They will receive visitors Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in East Hampton. A funeral service will be held on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the East Hampton Presbyterian Church.
Donations have been suggested to rectal colon cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where Mr. Grant received “exceptional care and compassion throughout his illness.” They can be made at giving.mskcc.org.
