Not all posing is right
There’s an interesting article in a recent issue of The Guardian on whether Robert Capa faked the famous snap of the Spanish revolutionary soldier at the moment of death:
Click the picture to read the article
If you click the above there’s an excellent audio commentary with many great Capa pictures – and pictures of Capa – which is worth spending a few minutes on.
I wrote in a light tone on the subject of whether posing a seemingly candid snap made any difference here, and feel it is only appropriate to add that, in this case, it probably does make a difference. If it’s unposed, this is a great piece of photojounralism; if posed, it’s an attempt to manipulate opinion to the photographer’s political leanings. Not good, as the picture was clearly presented as reportage not opinion – not something any of the candids in my earlier piece could be accused of.
I recall an illustrated article in Modern or Popular Photography, 20-or-so years ago that had the then newly-found in Paris proof sheets that clearly showed sequential photos of many members of the platoon, each taking their turn at ‘dying’ at the exact same spot on the slope of the hill.
After this initial article, I do not recall seeing any further mention of this find in any photo magazines, and have always wondered if Cornell Capa or some other interested parties had put a lid on the truth, as in ‘Liberty Valance’ “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”