Photojournalism (War)

Robert Capa
He worked for Life Magazine so he was sent places to take photographs by his boss. He thought 'war was glorious' but that's probably because he could easily dip in and out of the action/dangerous situations as he pleased. Motto: get close, then get closer.

Left: worked with a Leica camera.

His work was all about capturing reality.
He said that war was glamorous. But that's because he could dip in and out of the action.
He captured the invasion of Omaha Beach however they lost 3 out of 4 rolls due to being rushed when developing.

Right: Famous work - Death of a Loyalist Soldier (1936).

I chose this photo because it is very striking. There is something very special about capturing an irreversible moment. However this photo has been overshadowed with controversy. Many people believe the photo was staged. Either way, it captures a noteworthy moment and carries a powerful message behind it.

Tony Vaccaro

He was an American GI soldier. This meant he had to fight and take photos. He had to carry a rifle as well as a camera and couldn't dip in and out of the action. Because Vaccaro was always immersed in the fighting, he thought war was brutal and unnecessary. The standard issue camera at the time was the Speed graphic. It was too slow and not practical for a war zone so Vaccaro used an Argus C3. 
Left: Argus C3.

Right: Speed graphic camera.

Below right: Famous work - "German prisoner defusing a mine", Omaha Beach, Normandy, France (1945).

I chose this photo because it puts the subjects in a very vulnerable position because the shallow water and sand carry on way into the distance. They are the only two humans in the photo due to the framing. For all we know there could be hundreds of soldiers, weapons drawn facing the two men. I love the uncertainty of the image and the fact you don't get the full picture, only hints of what may be happening out of shot.

Eddie Adams

He was a combat photographer in the United States Marine Corps. He also has photographed for many well known magazines such as Vogue, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Newsweek and TIME.

Below: One his most famous pieces is 'Saigon Execution' (1968).

The video footage of the moment is not really very hard hitting because the incident is over within a few seconds. However the photograph captures the moment in a very powerful still image. It captures the look of fear on the victims face as the bullet enters his skull.

Adams won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot Photography and the World Press Photo Award for the shot (no pun intended).

453 words