An award-winning photojournalist, whose lens captured many of America's movers and shakers during the civil rights movement, has died at the age of 77.

Flip Schulke was a renowned freelance photographer who has Bermuda connections through his sister Roxy Kaufmann and extended family.

Many on the Island will remember Mr. Schulke for his exhibition of photographs, which depicted the late civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, both in his home and during marches. The exhibition took place at the Bermuda National Gallery (BNG) in 1997.

Mrs. Kaufmann said that although it was sad to lose her brother, it was a blessing, because he would not have been able to lead the life that he had been accustomed to.

"It is sad, but it is good news in that he was so active all of his life," she said.

"He had many medical problems and they all came at once, so in a way it was a blessing, and I am not saying that (to make light of it), you know."

She reminisced about many poignant moments that her brother captured with his lens.

"The centre of his whole life was the civil rights movement and he walked on practically all the marches with Dr. King, they were more or less the same age and they were very close," she said.

"In fact, there was a special meeting at Dr. King's house and the other committee members objected to the fact that my brother was a white photographer and Dr. King stood up and said, 'If he goes, then I go with him'. So you see, we don't have to be racist, do we?

"He did a very amazing thing and he was a LIFE (Magazine) photographer, but when they wouldn't pay him to go there, he would go anyway.

"But he retained the usage (copyright) to his pictures and that saved the day for him when he got older, because when his pictures ran, he got a royalty from it and most photographers from that era did not."

The award-winning photographer was also the chief photographer at NASA.

"You know the famous picture of (astronaut) Christa McAuliffe's family and the it (Challenger) blew up into a million pieces," she said.

"He was standing next to her family and instead of shooting straight ahead at the launch, he turned his camera at a right angle and shot the picture of her family that went around the world, because they watched their daughter blow up."

He also captured many moments of US presidential history.

"He was the head of all of the photography at the Rotunda at Jack Kennedy's funeral, as they didn't want to make it a three-ring circus," said Mrs. Kaufmann of her brother.

"It was interesting because he was going to be sent on a special assignment somewhere else, and there has always been talk of conspiracy and they never sent another photographer in his place. And so he went straight to Washington and managed President Kennedy's funeral.

"He's had a very, very interesting life.

"He always looked out for the underdog and he always felt sensitive about did we deserve to have what we had.

"I think that feeling generated at a very young age and blossomed into his becoming a freelance photographer and an activist, before it was fashionable, I might add."

In an e-mail, the BNG director Laura Gorham wrote: "On behalf of the chairman, trustees and staff of the Bermuda National Gallery, we send condolences to Mrs. Kaufmann, her husband, BNG founding trustee and artist, John Kaufmann and their family.

"Schulke is remembered here at the BNG for the 1997 exhibition of his renowned photographs from the Civil Rights era, and the accompanying lectures at the BNG and local schools on his work.

"He was instrumental in procuring early assignments for Bermudian photojournalist Richard Saunders in Ebony magazine. His nephew is renowned Bermudian photographer Graeme Outerbridge.

"A photograph of Martin Luther King Jr and his young son, Dexter is in the collection of the BNG, which is exhibited annually to commemorate MLK Day."