Thursday, May 26, 2011

MAY 25TH 1954 .....REMEMBERING ROBERT CAPA


Wearing his m42 jumpsuit with invasion flag and Leica camera........

All geared up and ready to jump with the ALL AMERICAN 82nd airborne

 with another one of my heroes the great papa ready to free Paris 


An absolute must read.This captivating and slightly romanced autobio was written like a movie script  in 1947 .

On this memorial day week end, i just wanted to pay tribute to one of my personal heroes who died on May 25th 1954 : the great Robert Capa........
Capa, Robert 1913-54, American war photographer was born in Hungary as Andre Friedmann. He came to Paris in 1933 and from that time on recorded with profound concern the spectacle of humanity caught in war .Capa began his career in the 1930's as a small time photographer. He would find himself in the middle of key historic events. From 1936 to 1939, he was all over Spain photographing the horrors the Spanish Civil War, taking the famous photograph of a Loyalist [supposedly]at the instant of death. World War II would bring Capa all around the world photographing on behalf of LIFE magazine.
His most famous work was done on June 6th, 1944 (D-Day Normandy Invasion) where he swam up on the beaches like all the other soldiers that day, but instead of being armed with a gun, he was armed with his camera.
After a brief period of rest following World War II, Capa traveled far away to Southeast Asia where the French had been fighting for 8 years in the First Indochina War. Capa followed a French regiment on May 25th, 1954. At 2:55PM, the regiment passed through a dangerous area in deep forests. Capa, not watching where he was going, stepped on a landmine, ending his glorious career short.


2 comments:

  1. Very interesting book Mr Segui, thank you.
    Ditto the Ditty bag and shoes.
    It occurs to me you may like to read the book on Neil Davis's life. Also a dedicated camera man who eventually paid with his life also.
    The book is called "One Crowded Hour" by Tim Bowden.
    http://www.amazon.com/One-Crowded-Hour-Oe-Cameraman/dp/0002174960
    I'm off to search up a copy of S.out of Focus if possible.
    Best regards ......Shaen.

    ReplyDelete

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