Homework #3

There were many discussions as to whether Robert Capa’s photograph, The Falling Soldier, was real or staged. I think Richard Whelan’s arguments are convincing and persuasive because no one would try to fake a death during the middle of a war. I feel like it’s hard to fake a death in the way the soldier was positioning himself. I believe that the photographs taken are not staged. The article states that “the man’s muscle have gone limp and that he is already dead”. It really looks like the man was hit with a bullet shown in the photograph. In my opinion, I think authenticity matters because Robert Capa wanted to take photographs from the war and that the photos should be real to have meanings. If he wanted capture moments, it should be real and not staged. Robert Capa was risking his life trying to take these photographs. The photo reminds me of another photo by Alexander Gardner’s Home of the Rebel Sharpshooter because of how he positioned his rifle.