http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/arts/design/18capa.html
Photography & Truth
Robert Capa is an American born photographer. He was born in 1913 and died in 1954. The image above was taken in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War. The picture is known to be one of the most famous war photographs ever taken. The image was taken at the beginning of the civil war showing a moment of a bullet’s impact on a loyalist soldier. The image is taken in the style of photojournalism and it came to define the work of Capa. Even after three quarters of a century Robert Capa’s image above is still one of the most famous war images. It has also had a lot of debate around it. A long line of critics have claimed that the photo was faked, and was not taken at the moment the soldier was shot.
In shadows of Photography, Jose Manuel Susperregui, a communications professor at the University del Pais Vasco, concludes that “Capa’s picture was taken not at Cerro Muriano, just north of Córdoba, but near another town, about 35 miles away. Since that location was far from the battle lines when Capa was there, Mr. Susperregui said, it means that “the ‘Falling Soldier’ photo is staged, as are all the others in the series taken on that front.””
The image above by Eddie Adams is another photo that has caused much debate and controversy. Eddie Adams was another American photographer and photojournalist who was born in June 1933 and died in 2004. He was noted for his portraits of celebrities and politicians and for his coverage of 13 wars. However, he is best known for his photograph of the execution of a Viet Cong soldier in 1968.
he photograph was shot on the streets of Cholon, the Chinese section of Saigon, Vietnam in 1968 (Adler). Just two days prior to the photograph, the North Vietnamese communists launched the Tet Offensive causing fighting to break out in the US Embassy compound in Saigon. Adams was covering the Vietnam War for the Associated Press when he took the iconic photograph. He had this to say about the moments leading up to, during, and just after the photograph was taken:
They walked him down to the street corner. We were taking pictures. He turned out to be a Viet Cong lieutenant. And out of nowhere came this guy who we didn’t know. I was about five feet away and he pulled out his pistol. [General Loan] shot him in the head and walked away. And walked by us and said ‘They killed many of my men and many of your people’” (“Saigon Execution”).
The prisoner was executed for murdering a South Vietnamese Colonel, his wife, and their six children. Adams got to know General Loan after the photograph was taken, and he held much respect for the man. Because of this photograph, “…Adams is recognized by many who lived through the Vietnam War Era as the photojournalist who helped end a war, though apparently not in a way that he intended” (“Ongoing Discussion: Media’s Impact on Opinion”).
He was quite shocked by the reaction of the photograph. In a multimedia interview with Adams published on Newseum.org, Adams describes his confusion with American’s demonstrations and upset over the image: “…because in a war, people die in wars. And what I ask people a lot, too, is if you’re this man… the General… and you just caught this guy after he killed some of your people, you know, it’s a war. How do you know you wouldn’t have pulled that trigger yourself?”
