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|| SportsShooter.com: News Item: Posted 2003-09-15
Review: 'Blood and Champagne: The Life and Times of Robert Capa'
What Photographers Should Be Reading
By Jim McNay, Brooks Institute of Photography
This new biography of Robert Capa covers familiar ground, slings more mud at him than we are used to seeing and shows why his interest in filmmaking makes Capa as relevant as ever.
The familiar stops along Capa's life are well covered. His D-Day landing in France under brutal gunfire and shelling are revisited. One's appreciation for Capa's courage, and that of any other soldier who went near the beaches that day, rises appreciably. Later at the liberation of Paris, Capa's description helps frame this historical moment. ("The most unforgettable day in the world") And photographers in search of a role model regarding maintaining ownership of their pictures could take a page from Capa's life by reexamining why he and his photographer pals formed Magnum Photos. It was all about not having their pictures owned by the corporate giants of the day.
Continuing controversy about one of Capa's most famous pictures brings the most maddening moments in the book as the author challenges the truthfulness of the picture. In recent years articles have been published that appeared to lay to rest any challenge to the authenticity of the picture made during the Spanish Civil War Kershaw calls, "Falling Soldier." Claims were made that the soldier was identified by name and location and actual date of death. It looked like the controversy over the picture and any possibility of it having been faked was at an end.
Kershaw raises all this anew, challenging the various elements of the recent so-called proof. The conclusion is we may never have indisputable evidence of either side to authenticity of this picture. It may come down to whether readers trust Capa's integrity once they examine the full sweep of his life.
Unfortunately the author chooses to take other potshots at Capa, offering little evidence to support those who had negative things to say about the photographer. Author John Steinbeck made one reference to Capa's "lack of integrity," but did not elaborate. Kershaw can offer nothing to explain Steinbeck's statement. When Capa temporarily had his passport suspended, then got it back within a matter of weeks-an unusually fast turnaround in that day-some charged it was Capa's cooperation with intelligence agencies that smoothed the process. Again no evidence is offered for this speculation by people far on the fringes of this incident. Kershaw, a British journalist by trade, would do well to take a page from first year American journalism training, a principle best summarized as, "When in doubt, leave it out."
One of Capa's strongest legacies may be indicated on the cover of the book. It is a picture showing Capa in profile with a movie camera. Near the end of his life he was a strong advocate of photographers starting to shoot motion picture film aimed at the emergence of television. Capa had attempted some film documentary storytelling in both Spain and China. He thought such tools might point to a future for serious photojournalists, and urged Magnum photographers to carry both still and cine cameras. In this way he anticipated those who carry both still and digital video cameras today, selecting the most appropriate time to tell their stories with each.
For Capa enthusiasts, two other books are part of the must read Capa canon. The first is his autobiography, "Slightly Out of Focus" reissued in 1999, though in writing it, one must realize Capa did not always stick to the facts of his life when they conflicted with interesting storytelling. The other is Richard Whelan's classic, "Robert Capa: A Biography," an in-depth look at Capa's life and loves. Kershaw's effort is the latest Capa biography and as such the author has the benefit of access to records and information not previously available. In that Kershaw helps expand of our understanding of this leading light of photojournalism, we can be grateful.
Photographers, particularly those in school or seeking to break into the photojournalism, are welcome to send ideas for future columns to Jim McNay at jim.mcnay@brooks.edu.
Questions about getting started in photojournalism that might be answered in future columns are also welcome.
Related Links:
Book: Blood and Champagne: The Life and Times of Robert Capa
Book: Robert Capa: A Biography
Book: Slightly out of Focus
Jim McNay's Member Page
Related Email Addresses:
Jim McNay: jim.mcnay@brooks.edu
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