In history, many photographs have had controversies behind them and some of them were known to be more staged rather than authentic such as “Home of a Rebel Sharpshooter” and Alice Liddel as “The Beggar Maid.” After reading Richard Whelan’s article, I believe Robert Capa’s photographs are authentic. Whelan shows a convincing argument when Captain Robert L. Franks explains how in the picture, the soldiers fingers were curled towards his palm because of the body’s reaction to pain and falling. I agree how no one would really think about doing this when faking their death.
I believe that authenticity does help prove a point but I don’t think it actually matters. A photograph can show any picture as long as it sends the message of saying what it is trying to advertise. Sure it would be more convincing if it was real. For example, if dealing with a debt crisis, a staged photograph of a family sitting in the middle of a side walk with dirt on their clothes or even a person dressed in rags would definitely send the message saying that there is a depression going on. If they were actually poor and suffering from the depression, than yes, it’s even more convincing, but they both still send the same message.
