Capa.
An Introduction to Modern Photojournalism
Biography-Origins ● ● ● ●
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Considered the “Greatest War Photogrpaher of All Time” Born Andre Friedmann to Jewish parents in Hungary--1913. Studied Political Science and International Relations at University. In the 1930’s, contemporized with artists and figures such as Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, and famed photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, who would later join with Friedmann to create the Magnum Photo Agency, considered the most prestigious photo agency in the world. Created the Robert Capa persona via trying to convey a famous American persona. Became famous for his photos of the Spanish Civil War, including the famous “Falling Soldier” photo, which garnered him international acclaim and which became a symbol of war throughout the world.
Background Cont● ●
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After the death of his partner Gerda Taro, Capa emigrated to New York City. He would serve as a correspondent, particularly for Life Magazine, in Europe during World War Two. He would gain acclaim for his conscious decisions to place himself in as much danger, if not more, as the average soldier, this included landing on Omaha Beach during D-day. Many of his photos survived the war and have become symbols of the darkest time in European history. However during the D-Day invasion, Capa took 106 photos, of which all but eleven were destroyed during a lab accident in London. These photos have become known as the “Magnificent Eleven”. Sadly, in 1954, Capa stepped on a Landmine while covering the Indochina conflict (precursor to the Vietnam war), he was pronounced dead on arrival to a field hospital.
Background Contâ—? â—?
While Capa is long gone, his photos still survive as amazingly crafted pieces of documentation and art. He continues to be an inspiration to photojournalists and war photograhpers, and along with new installations of his work, the photo agency he founded, Magnum, is still the utmost prospect for a photographer to strive to.
Peacetime---1930’s
Village crowds waiting for the arrival of the tour.----Tour de France--1935
Tour de France--1935
FRANCE. Brittany. Pleybon. 1935. A crowd gathered in front of Mr Pierre Cloarec's bicycle shop. The owner of the shop is racing in the Tour de France
FRANCE. July 1939. Tour de France. Spectators.
War. Spain, 1936
SPAIN. Barcelona. January 1939. Running for shelter during the air raid alarm. The city was being heavily bombed by Fascist planes as General Franco's troops rapidly approached the...
SPAIN. Madrid. November-December 1936. Members of the International Brigades, engaged in a house to house fight around the slaughterhouse, near the university campus.
SPAIN. Bilbao. May 1937. Basque region. Extinguishing a fire in a gas deposit hit by an Italo-German air raid.
SPAIN. Cordoba front. September, 1936. Death of a loyalist militiaman.
Notes on “The Falling Soldier” ●
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The previous photograph, forever immortalized as “The Falling Soldier”, has been the subject of criticism and controversy, with some believing that the shot was staged. The actual situation regarding the photo and its authenticity will never be known, but nethertheless the photo has and will continue to be one of the most striking and poignant representation of the terrible costs of war, and the inhumanity of death by bullet.
Portraits of International Brigade Fighters. Nov-Dec ‘36
In Earnest---Portraits of Hemingway
SPAIN. Teruel. US writer and journalist Ernest HEMINGWAY with soldiers at the front lines. December 1937.
USA. Sun Valley, Idaho. October, 1941. American writer Ernest HEMINGWAY.
USA. Sun Valley, Idaho. October, 1941. American writer Ernest HEMINGWAY with his son Gregory.
“I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.� --Dwight D. Eisenhower
World War Two.
FRANCE. Normandy. June 6th, 1944. Landing of the American troops on Omaha Beach.
FRANCE. Normandy. June 6th, 1944. Landing of the American troops on Omaha Beach.
FRANCE. Cherbourg. June 28, 1944. American soldiers and French civilians celebrating the liberation of the city in front of Cherbourg's city hall.
FRANCE. Saint L么. July 26th-30th, 1944. American troops arriving in the abandoned town.
FRANCE. Near St. L么. July 26th, 1944. American soldiers.
FRANCE. Near St. L么. July 26th-30th, 1944. American soldiers.
ITALY. Maiori. September 19, 1943. Two soldiers in a hospital set up in a church.
Notes on slide 35 Robert Capa, [American soldier killed by a German sniper, Leipzig, Germany], April 18, 1945. Š Robert Capa/International Center of Photography. Capa called this man the last man to die. "I’m sure that there were many last men who were killed. But he was the last man maybe in our sector and it was just about the real end of the war."
Relation to Modern War Photogrpahy ● ●
Capa took the ideals of manicured photojournalism and the teachings and ideals of the “Decisive Moment” and applied them to the atrocity of warfare. His composition, lighting, and sense of immersion are all applied in modern day war photography, making his methods a sort of guideline for conflict photography, much in the same line of thought as Ansel Adams and landscape work.
The following slides depict and contrast one of Capa’s photos with a modern day photographer’s, to show how his methods and especially his ability to provide lifestyleesque juxtaposition are replicated.
Credits ●
All photos credited to Capa and their respective captions are the courtesy and copyright of:
Robert Capa © International Center of Photography Magnum Images Robert Capa himself. ● ●
Vietnam Photo: Courtesy of Life Magazine and Larry Burrows. Syrian Sniper: Courtesy of the Baltimore Sun
Notes. â—?
Slides 25, 26, 31, 33, and 34 were provided with no accompanying caption. Their rights are still reserved to Robert Capa Š International Center of Photography
Capa.