22 February 2012 12:59 pm
Colvin, an American citizen, was a renowned reporter who had covered countless conflicts over 30 years and wore a distinctive eye patch after she was wounded in Sri Lanka.
She was voted Foreign Correspondent of the Year in the 2010 British Press Awards.
Ochlik was a 28-year-old photographer represented by the IP3 agency, which he co-founded in Paris, who quit his studies aged 20 to report on Haiti and has since covered many of the recent upheavals in the Arab world.
They were among more than a dozen people killed Wednesday as Syrian forces pounded the besieged rebel city of Homs, activists said, while calls mounted for a truce to allow in humanitarian aid.
France's Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said the pair had been fleeing a bombardment when they were killed. "It's absolutely overwhelming, terrible," he said.
David Cameron paid tribute to Colvin on Wednesday, saying her death in Syria showed the risks journalists face to tell the truth.
"This is a desperately sad reminder of the risks that journalists take to inform the world of what is happening and the dreadful events in Syria, and our thoughts should be with her family and with her friends," he told parliament.
Describing the US-born journalist as "talented and respected", Cameron took the unusual step of mentioning her at the start of his weekly parliamentary questions after the names of British service members killed in Afghanistan.
William Hague also paid tribute to Colvin and Ochlik, and said she "embodied the highest values of journalism".
"For years she shined a light on stories that others could not," he said.
The French daily Le Figaro said one of its reporters, Edith Bouvier, had been among three journalists wounded in the same incident.
"I received two calls from Homs this morning to tell me that Edith was wounded in the legs. (Source: AFP)