Photojournalism at KCAA: Robert Capa

Robert Capa has been known to be one of the most fearless and captivating photographers of his time. He was a war photographer who hated war. Although, his photographs of war were what made him such an influence to the ones who viewed them. Robert Capa's life will always be remembered as the life that lived fully.

Robert Capa was born in Budapest 1913 on October 22. Robert Capa was born into a Jewish family in Hungary with the name Andre Friedmann in 1913, but later left Budapest to work in Berlin at the age of 18. He lived in Berlin for a short time, and worked as a darkroom assistant. He also started his studies in journalism at the German political college. However, the Nazi party had highly restricted laws against Jews and prohibited them from any college in Germany. He later moved to Paris hoping to fulfill his dream career of becoming a freelance journalist. When arriving at France, Friedmann struggled greatly to find work. In 1934 "André Friedman", as he still called himself, met Gerda Taro, a German Jewish refugee, and former friend of Capa. The couple lived in Paris where André taught Gerda photography. Together they created the name and image of "Robert Capa" as a, "famous" American photographer. He adopted this name shortly after the rise Nazism, because he thought it was more American-sounding and more recognizable, which was in fact similar to that of film director, Frank Capra. Later on, Capa successfully gained work as a photojournalist, and his first assignment took him to Denmark where he photographed Leon Trotsky ‘In Defence of October’ speech. Although, what really caught the people's attention was the Spanish civil war photographs that showed the conflict up close and personal. This was when Capa took his infamous photo, "Death of a loyalist soldier". This image impacted many while viewing the instant death of a man. Robert Capa's life was a bit mysterious one and wild one. It took him a long time before becoming what he's always wanted to be and left marks in the minds of millions along the the way. Unfortunately, his life cut short when he was photographing the First Indochina war and stepped on a land mine and died instantly.

Capa's carrer as a journalist had him witnessing five different wars: the Spanish Civil War, the Second-Sino Japanese War, World War II, the, 1948 Arab-Iraeli War and the First Indochina War. In these conflicts, he captured amazing and powerful photos that gave people the chills. This included the frontline battle in Normandy that brought fear-sicken images along with it. He documented the course of World War II in London, North Africa, Italy the Battle of Normandy on Omaha Beach and the liberation of Paris, as well. In 1947, Capa co-founded Magnum Photos in Paris with David "Chim" Seymour, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and William Vandivert. This organization was the first cooperative agency for worldwide freelance photographers. Capa was successful along with other photographers and impacted the world of photojournalism. Each time, he risked his life, capturing photos that no one else would dare to take. He worked hard to get the best pictures and made sure he had no competition. During WWII, Capa dragged to various parts of the European Theatre on photography assignments. He first photographed for Collier's Weekly, before switching to Life after he was fired. On October 7, 1943, Robert Capa was in Naples with Life reporter, Will Lang Jr., and photographed the Naples post office bombing. This war and many more, brought him to the limelight during his time.

A man with a lot of courage, the images Capa showed the world, have changed photojournalism, bringing light to the destruction that war brings. However, which ever way you view his work and the identity he created, the impact that Capa has had cannot be neglected. Every photograph taken represents the hard life of soldiers, citizens, and overall, all the people he photographed. His photograph will last in the viewer’s mind, depicting a time when devastation was at its worst. It is these times, his photography has impacted many that have viewed his work. The impact he has left behind had struck many modern photographers who have been inspired by his work. Photojournalism is a risky job and can get anyone behind the camera killed. Although, photographers such as Robert Capa, have inspired and impacted how photojournalism if viewed. Many believe that photojournalism is a bad job and that the people behind the camera have no consideration for the things they photograph and only care about the money that comes along for each photograph. However, sometimes, it is much more than that. Photojournalists only want to show the world what goes on behind closed doors. Robert Capa did this when he was still living and breathing and he had a major passion for it. This passion has been absorbed by many modern photographers who have been impacted by Robert Capa and many other famous photojournalists.

Robert Capa has been known to be the "greatest war photographer in the world". He has captivated many with his astonishing photos of the life of war. He was a fearless man who's career rose more as he captured each picture. Robert Capa's life will always be remembered as the life that lived fully.