HW #8: Capa’s “Death of a Loyalist Soldier”

Over the years, people have argued that Robert Capa’s “Death of a Loyalist Soldier” is a staged photograph and I can clearly see why they doubted its authenticity. In the shot,  the Spanish soldier appears to be falling back after being hit by a bullet and shot at the moment of death. It is truly amazing how Capa was able to capture that exact moment and this is a reason why it is hard for the viewers to believe that the shot was real and just captured at the right time at the right place. I personally believe Capa didn’t stage the shot. To me, the most effective reason why the photograph is real is the soldier’s position, the way he is falling back and his face expression which portrays real pain. In fact, the photographer put his own life at risk when going to the battle fields to get true photographs and document what was happening during the Spanish war. This is a photojournalism, not fake.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *