We can all see that Robert Capa’s, “Death Of a Loyalist Soldier”, a very controversial and popular image. When I first took a glance of the picture, I thought there was something iffy about it. The way how the solider was positioned seemed unnatural and awkward. It reminded me of that popular scene of Jack and Rose from Titanic (and I will add a comparison image below but it’s not a controversial image of course. However, you can see how both images/scenes are clearly staged). I had many questions in mind like, “Shouldn’t there be blood when the soldier was shot? Why does the soldier’s face look so calm? Shouldn’t he have a painful/uncomfortable face because getting shot actually hurts? Why does the soldier’s hand look somewhat tightly gripped to the gun? ”  Thus, I believe that Capa’s picture was staged.
After reading Whelan’s argument, I think his argument is quite convincing mainly because he used other photographs to prove what an “un-staged image” would look like. I believe that authenticity matters because being truthful is always significant and beneficial to the world. But either way, Capa’s image still remains popular and shows the world what he’s trying to convey. An image can tell a powerful story even if people have many different perspectives.
See what I mean??? Rose’s face and position looks EXTREMELY similar to the solider.Â
Great suggestion at the end!