Longtime Burlington photographer Didier Delmas died December 22 in Cadours, France, from complications of von Hippel Lindau Syndrome. He was 71.
Born in Villefranche de Rouergue, Didier briefly studied architecture in Toulouse before leaving school to pursue his dreams in photography. Self-trained, he first worked as an archaeological photographer for Toulouse’s Musée Saint-Raymond before opening his first studio, focusing on hard-to-photograph metal and glass. His early fine arts photographs are in the permanent collections at the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, and the Galerie Le Château d’Eau, Toulouse.
During summer visits to the U.S., Didier photographed campus life for Middlebury’s French School. When in 1983 he was awarded a photography contract for the Joy of Gardening cookbook, he settled first at Shelburne Farms and then in Burlington. For nearly 20 years he excelled in advertising and catalog photography. His fine arts giclée prints were sold through Frog Hollow and elsewhere.
Retiring from photography in 2001, Didier pursued a second dream of studying philosophy. After completing a bachelor’s in cinema studies at Burlington College, he went on to earn a master’s and a doctorate at McGill University, specializing in 17th-century visual culture.
Didier is survived by his father, Bernard Delmas; his sisters, Marilyne (Roger) Négro and Christine Delmas, and their children, all of southwest France; as well as by his ex-wives, Gretchen Amussen of Paris and Nancy Welch of Hanover, N.H. His death is also mourned by the many Vermont friends who affectionately called him “Chef Didier” and remember him as a gifted chef and generous host.
A celebration of Didier’s life will be held December 31 in Cadours before his ashes are laid to rest alongside his mother and grandparents in Villefranche. Vermont friends are invited to send remembrances of Didier, to be translated and shared with his family, to nwelch@uvm.edu.
This article appears in January 7 • 2026.