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span class="caption" style="width: 398px;">JPSenior photographer Ed Zoelverdi, who coined the term “Mat Kodak” for photographers, died on Wednesday morning at his home after a battle with lung cancer.

He was 68 years old.

The family said Ed had been coping with stage three lung cancer that brought him to intensive care at Persahabatan Hospital in East Jakarta in November of last year.

The deadly disease was believed to have arisen from Ed’s smoking habit. The man was known as a heavy smoker.

He was regarded as an exceptional photographer who possessed both writing and photography skills.

Born in Aceh, the man began his career in journalism at KAMI in 1967 as a reporter, assigned not only to write but also to take photos.

Before finally taking the career path of photography, Ed was the assistant director of photography for the movie Dunia Belum Kiamat (It’s Not the End of the World Yet) in 1970.

He was also involved in the publication of Express magazine that same year before joining Tempo’s photo department in 1971 and deciding to become a professional photojournalist.

Ed’s career at Tempo lasted until the magazine was banned in 1994.

He later worked for Gatra magazine as a photo editor until 2000.

Throughout his career as a photojournalist Ed had been assigned to cover important events including Vietnam after the war in 1979. He also went to various countries in Europe and Asia to report.

Ed’s later years were filled with activities as a media consultant and lecturer at several universities.

The man, who never had formal training in photography, made courses and trainings in photography a priority later in his career.

With more than 40 years’ experience in the world of photography, Ed was known as one of Indonesia’s photojournalist legends.

He coined the phrase “Mat Kodak”, which was widely used in local publications to refer to photographers.

Among Ed’s proudest accomplishments was being selected as a jury member in photo competitions in Japan, Hong Kong and Switzerland.

Ed was among the world’s 40 best photographers chosen to participate in a book project dedicated to commemorate Singapore’s 25th anniversary.

Apart from his dedication to photography, Ed never forgot his passion for writing. The man, who published both photography articles and books, was involved in several book projects as a designer, and continued to write until the end of his life.

He was working on a book for a car company’s anniversary when he entered the hospital.