Has anyone read the Aperture #166 story about Capa's famous picture? I can't get it here in Italy (I doubt) and I'm curious. I did a book report in college on his biography that shows publishes the two pictures that leave no doubt in my mind it was staged... of the two differently clothed soldiers (that is, two different people in seperate frames) falling backward in the exact same fashion in the exact same spot at near identical times of day (the clouds in the background are unchanged). You don't have to be a war photographer to know the odds of that happening (and whatever happened to the first body, anyway?). At least, the odds of a photographer staging something in those days far and away exceeds to likelihood of two such identical deaths.

Any thoughts? Is there some new evidence weighty enough to legitimize the photo? I have always wondered about it. I have great respect for Capa and from what I remember the picture was published and he was famous for it before he even knew it had run... I rather wonder if some tomfoolery in downtime with the troops spiralled out of control...

-- dave yoder (lists@home.com), March 18, 2002

Answers

Capa really was the baddest. And by that I mean the goodest. Or whatever...

But I've never really loved that picture. It just doesn't do it for me. But every photographer from that era staged just about everything...Maybe the truth was more malleable back then? But seriously, does it matter? Remember the hooplah when the Army Ranger was dragged through the streets of Moghadishu? Do you think they would have done it if the cameras WEREN'T there?

I will say that Capa's photo of the fallen sniper is one of my favorites, and certainly not set up. And a beautiful picture as well. Chilling...

-- Carlin (carlinm@abac.com), March 18, 2002.

Check out a book called "Requiem". It covers war/combat photographers in Viet Nam from the time of the French to the early 1970's. Some good Capa shots and Leica stuff as well.

-- Ben Hughes (ben@hughesbros.com), March 18, 2002.

Hi, Dave:

I have the opposite story: I read that an old participant in the Spanish Civil War said that the photo was his brother's and was able to identify it as authentic because a close friend, witness to the actual dead of his brother told him about the scene up to the last detail, one of which had to deal with the bullets carrying boxes the fallen soldier had on his waist, which were kind of special since the uniforms of Republican soldiers were not always the official one because of lack of supplies at the moment.

I don't remember where the article I read was published but I do remember it was a well respected publication (American Photo, perhaps ?). In fact the article was aimed to clarify the authenticity issue about this famous photo.

I'll have a look on the AP issues I have at home later on and let you know about my findings.

Regards

-Iván

-- Iván Barrientos M (ingenieria@simltda.tie.cl), March 18, 2002.

In an article from 2000 in Aperture, Esperanza Aguirre Gil de Biedma, the then Minister of Education and Culture in Spain confirmed that through investigation into any missing soldiers from the date Capa said he took the photo, from the area he was photographing in, that there was a soldier killed on routine patrol in exactly the area specified. He concludes that as far as he is concerned it is a legitimate photo. Of course I know that some of you will now accuse him of being on the payroll of the Capa estate.

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), March 18, 2002.

Right I remember reading those accounts legitimizing the photo too. But I think they fall far short of the proof I've seen with my own eyes, the two photos in his biography (I can't remember who wrote it). You have to either accept that the photos were some kind of fabrication or reenactment, or you have to accept that against astronomical odds two people were shot and fell in the exact some way (one of whom then disappeared leaving no trace) and another soldier was then shot on precisely the same spot within a very short few minutes and fell in the same way as the last. And if there were such a fierce battle going on, where are the pictures of combat or any other supporting photographs that surely a photographer would take. It just doesn't add up.

-- dave yoder (lists@daveyoder.com), March 18, 2002.

Ben makes reference to the book, "Requiem". This volume was mentioned on the forum sometime last year, and being an army chaplain who served in the Viet Nam with the 2/327 Infantry Battalion,1st Brigade, 101Airborne Division, it piqued my interest. I purchased the volume and was very impressed with the work of the 135 photojournalists from all sides of the conflict who were killed, or recorded as missing. The book is a memorial to these combat photographers, both men and women. Frames from Robert Capa's last roll of film, taken just before he died, are included in the volume. Those images certainly were not staged. My first glace at the contents of the book were hurried and I skipped many of the photographs. The second look, however, caused me to literally spring from my chair with almost uncontrollable excitement. For as I turned to pages 188-89, a scene was re-vealed that I had carried in my memory for more than 34 years. It was the photograph of a U.S. twin-engine Caribou aircraft crashing to the ground after being literally blown in half by American artillery. I was standing just to the right of where the photographer (Hiromichi Mine) was standing when he made the shot. I did not know he (Mine) was accompanying our unit, and I certainly did not know that anyone took a photograph of the horrible accident. You cannot imagine how the discovery of Mine's "decisive moment" affected me upon seeing it for the second time. The first time was when I viewed it first hand that eventful day in 1967. The photograph won various prizes, including the Picture of the Year competition, co-sponsored by the National Press Photographers Association and the "World Book Encyclopedia". Seven months later, Mine was killed when the armored personnel carrier in which he was riding hit a land mine. You can view the image at:

http://www.c-7acaribou.com/album/photos/photo02.htm.

This photo was certainly not staged. I will be forever grateful for Mine's life, and for his recording this moment in world history, though a sad and regrettable one. It was a moment in my personal history, too. The value of this photographic moment for me cannot be adequately expressed in words .

-- Max Wall (mtwall@earthlink.net), March 18, 2002.

Dave,

As a sideline, have you checked out aperture.org? I'm sure they can do international subscriptions. I know it's expensive, but they really are one of the best publishers of great photography. Donations are also tax deductible...(they call me every year crying poor). Furthermore, they also publish some of the best writing on photography. Regards,

-- Carlin (carlinm@abac.com), March 18, 2002.

"...I can't get it here in Italy..."

Ironic since the separation for that issue was done in Turin, even though it was printed in Hong Kong.

I just read the article this week. The author, Richard Whelan, concluded the photograph is genuine. The "Falling Soldier" was pretty conclusively identified as Federico Borrell Garcia.

The short sum of the article is that author bases his conclusion on evidence regarding the date, determined location (Cerro Muriano), the soldier's identity and fact that he was killed that day and examination of the photograph by a chief homocide detective. The detective noted the soldier had been standing flat-footed rather than in stride and his hand/finger positions were inconsistant with someone who was deliberately falling down, but fully consistant with someone who had just been fatally shot. He'd likely been holding his rifle at his side when he was hit.

But "staged" may play a role. The article includes other images Capa took that same day of the same soldiers which were clearly staged for the benefit of the camera - jumping across a trench, positioning for attack, etc. The author goes on to speculate that Borrell Garcia was in fact posing for Capa, standing up (hence standing flat-footed) when an unknown enemy machine gun suddenly opened up on him. The article mentions that years later Capa may have hinted he felt a little responsibility in Borrell Garcia's death, presumably since he was posing for the camera in an exposed position.

The article states the clouds did change slightly between the two images, with the "Fallen Soldier" most likely being made first. Also, it is known that Borrell Garcia was killed around 5:00pm, and the shadows are consistant with that time of day. The second soldier was in a crouched position, probably ready to fire when he was hit. Since the location was adjacent to the trench from which Capa was photographing, the others probably pulled Borrell Garcia's body back into the trench after he fell.

Is it proof the photograph was genuine? Well to me it's pretty convincing that it was clearly plausible.

-- Tod Hart (tghart@altavista.com), March 18, 2002.

While I have no idea whether Capa's falling soldier is legit, I have always liked reading true combat accounts. In a German account of the battle on the Eastern Front, he said that they were advancing very slowly, in hip-deep snow, in record breaking cold, in clear sunlight. In the distance, they observed a group of around 20 mounted Russian cavalry. They kept approaching them, but they did not seem to move at all. When they finally got up to the group, they found that all these horsemen had frozen stiff, along with their mounts! The unit photographer took out a Rolleiflex and attempted to photograph the gruesome scene, but the Rollei quickly froze up, denying him the picture. He said he thought that "God did not want that picture made."

-- Frank Horn (owlhoot45@hotmail.com), March 18, 2002.

the article referred to above was in amateur photographer (uk). they are good about responding to emails. i believe the article ultimately concluded that there was insufficient proof to authenticate (or debunk) the falling soldier photo. it did document, however, numerous other capa set-up jobs i think, and suggested that such was a legitimate part of reportage at the time. i think it may have talked about some of weegee's techniques.

-- roger michel (michel@tcn.org), March 18, 2002.

Capa used a Contax -- whadaya expect from him?

-- Wihlmn (wmitch3400@otmail.com), March 18, 2002.

Max,

That's a stunning picture. I was a high school sophomore when the war was raging and this picture was taken. I was unable to comprehend what was really happening in Viet Nam.

I don't suppose I will ever understand or comprehend the trials of all the brave who served the USA at that time.

Thanks for sharing the insights, and thanks for your service to the country.

-- David S Smith (dssmith3@rmci.net), March 19, 2002.

If you want to compare Capa's photographs to others, just look at Matthew Brady's photographs of the carnage at Antietam and at Gettysburg. At Gettysburg, the dead sniper, for me, is the most damning war photograph ever taken.

-- George C. Berger (gberger@his.com), March 21, 2002.