The Story Behind That D-Day Photograph
Thursday, June 06, 2019
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| D-Day -June 6 1944 - Robert Capa |
In that now ever more remote 20th century, those
of us who practiced photography then knew stories about photography from books. And
that was it.
Most of us thought we knew some sort of explanation for the most
famous photograph of D-Day taken by Robert Capa. Surely he had risked his life
when he took it as he was either already on the beach or in a spot where he
could photograph the soldiers coming in. The photograph was out of focus and
whatever other details about it were due to the story (debunked here, it is
long but worth reading) that Capa had sent the film to Life and that someone
had made some mistake and processed the rolls incorrectly and only a few images
were salvable.
From the above link now in this 21st century I
have the real story and at the very least I now know what kind of camera and
film Capa used:
Capa did not run out of film (Kodak Super-XX), nor did his
camera jam, nor did seawater damage either his cameras or his film. In his
memoir, Capa first implies that he exposed at most two full rolls of 35mm film — one
roll in each of his two Contax II rangefinder cameras, 72 frames in all — at
Omaha Beach.
A.D. Coleman
At my age of 77 I have to admit that the 20th century wasn't all rosy. Stuff in this one, in many ways is better. Knowledge of facts, in spite of what an American president might opine, is far easier to find now if one knows where to look and puts trust in sources that can be verified.
Before I read A.D. Coleman's detailed explanation for the "failure" I thought perhaps that Capa's camera might have been a Leica. Leicas of that vintage were difficult to load (from the bottom) and in the haste and noise of battle perhaps one or two rolls did not advance correctly and Capa sent rolls that had not been exposed for processing. Another possibility was intermittent shutter failure. Coleman, I believe found the true reason.
For those who have further interest on this matter they might explore the story behind his photograph "The Falling Soldier" that he claimed to have been taken on September 5, 1936. It was said to depict the death of a Republican Iberian Federation of Libertarian Youth (FIJL) soldier, during the Battle of Cerro Muriano in the Spanish Civil War.
That photograph is now almost forgotten as another taken in Vietnam is now much more famous. The photograph was taken by Eddy Adams. The story behind it is here.
At my age of 77 I have to admit that the 20th century wasn't all rosy. Stuff in this one, in many ways is better. Knowledge of facts, in spite of what an American president might opine, is far easier to find now if one knows where to look and puts trust in sources that can be verified.
Before I read A.D. Coleman's detailed explanation for the "failure" I thought perhaps that Capa's camera might have been a Leica. Leicas of that vintage were difficult to load (from the bottom) and in the haste and noise of battle perhaps one or two rolls did not advance correctly and Capa sent rolls that had not been exposed for processing. Another possibility was intermittent shutter failure. Coleman, I believe found the true reason.
For those who have further interest on this matter they might explore the story behind his photograph "The Falling Soldier" that he claimed to have been taken on September 5, 1936. It was said to depict the death of a Republican Iberian Federation of Libertarian Youth (FIJL) soldier, during the Battle of Cerro Muriano in the Spanish Civil War.
That photograph is now almost forgotten as another taken in Vietnam is now much more famous. The photograph was taken by Eddy Adams. The story behind it is here.
