ARTH1100 History of Photography S2017

After reading the analysis by Richard Whelan on Robert cape, it does convinced me a little and makes me question the truth behind the photo, so I do believed that this photograph is staged mainly because Whelan had capture some details normal people wouldn’t see for example he staged “Franks told me in conversation that the fact that the fingers are somewhat curled toward the palm clearly indicates that the man’s muscles have gone limp and that he is already dead.” Which is a true fact that physical actions that human body made will never lie to us. However people can still argue the other way around, but to me authenticity doesn’t really matter because “guessing” or “assuming” is also part of the art history, no artist would tell you the entire meaning of their art, its only for them self to know  or sometimes they don’t even know, so its our job as a third person to interpret the meaning behind it in our perspective.

Robert Capa Death of a Loyalist Soldier , drew a lot of speculations.  Even though this was one of the greatest war photo of all times, many people couldn’t believe such greatness was not be manipulated. It’s hard to believe a photo was taken exactly when a bullet was going through this solider head. However, I believe this was truly just a great photo that happened to be taken at just the right time.  Rita Grosvenor a British Journalist, even confirmed that the man in the photo was actually killed at battle.  Brotons himself also confirmed that only one member had died that day, which now makes two verification that Capa photo is actually real.  A photo like this can very much be stages, but when you’re actually capturing an event right before your eyes, sometimes the impossible might actually be possible. Taking a photo can happen so quick where you might not be able to see every little thing happening. However, I don’t think that means the photo might not be authentic. This photo should be appreciated more for the power it holds, rather than people try to down talk the image it’s trying to show.

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. 

When reading the article “Proving that Robert Capas “Falling Soldier” is Genuine: A Detective Story” by Richard Whelan I noticed several important arguments made. Throughout the article, I also became skeptical on whether or not Robert Capas photo is staged or not. Whelan did a good job at convincing the reader that the photograph isn’t staged. He interviewed several people that were supposedly with Capa on the day the homicide occurred. Most people who were interviewed told stories that didn’t prove to be accurate. Whelan was able to find out the soldier’s name and concluded that there was only one soldier that was reported dead on the same day, September 5. This proves that the photograph is not staged. Also, Whelan was able to contact the soldiers younger brother to identify the body and he confirmed it was the same person that was reported dead. The time of death also matches with the photograph due to the shadows projected. I believe that the photograph s not staged. The points brought up by Richard Whelan are convincing and I don’t see a reason not to believe it. Either way, the authenticity shouldn’t matter. The picture and the moment in time is very powerful and meaningful. To get an action shot like Capa did is very rare and unique.

Robert Capa’s Death of  a Loyalist Soldier is the greatest war photograph of all time. After reading the article, I feel it is convincing by comparing to another controversial photograph, which is a soldier holding his gun as tightly as he falling back. I think Capa’s photograph is staged. when I first look at the photograph, I don’t feel it’s a photograph from war. The soldier does not look painful. he is relax while he is falling down. when a person is dying and falling down, I don’t think he will open his arms. in normal,  if the person is dying, he would not have energy to open his arms, unless there is a bomb in the war, but in this photograph, it looks peaceful everywhere around the soldier. I think authenticity does matter and it is important. when we want to learn about the history of war, if the photographs are not real, we cannot know what was actually happening in the past. if they are not authentic, people live in this century  might have misunderstanding of the cause of a war and lead to a new problem.

Robert Capa’s image “Death of a Loyalist Soldier” is a controversial photograph because it seems to have been staged. According to Richard Whelan’s article about Capa’s photograph, there are many factors that support the idea that the photograph may have been staged. After looking at the image closely, I can see that the gun was being held in an awkward position and not pointed at the person who was shooting at him. Another thing I noticed is that in the photograph there was no blood or wounds on the soldier as he is falling to the ground. Also I noticed how the soldier’s face is so calm rather than panicking or being in pain from an actual gunshot. I believe there was enough supporting evidence in Whelan’s article that proved the photo was staged. This photo was similar to “Home of a Rebel Sharpshooter” because just like this photograph, there was a gun that was placed next to the soldier’s body in a casual position which led many to believe it was staged. I think authenticity matters because a photograph about war should depict reality and give the viewer a visual idea of what is actually going on in the war zone and not something that is altered or staged. In conclusion, Cara’s image “Death of a Loyalist Soldier” still remains one of the most powerful images of war in the 1930s.

Robert Whelan’s arguments regarding Robert Capa’s photograph “Death of a Loyalist Soldier” are very convincing because he builds his argument by refuting other arguments, which removes the reader’s doubt that Whelan is speaking accurately. Whelan also used irrefutable scientific evidence when describing the validity of the photograph. He explains how the hand of the soldier would have appeared differently if the photograph were staged. Staged photography begins when the photographer wants to show a perspective that is not present when the camera is ready to take a photograph. When a photograph is staged, it is not always, because the moment never occurred. In regards to the Capa’s photograph, it could have staged. The soldier in the photograph could have duplicated an earlier tragedy that occurred to a fellow soldier. It did strike me as odd that such an image was captured during war. During an assault, it is expected that everyone would take cover to protect his life, including the photographer. However, it appears that Capa decided to capture a photograph rather than protect his own life. The authenticity of a photograph should not take away from the message that it sent and the imagery that was depicted. The photograph shows the brutality and unexpectedness of combat. Photography can be compared to words because both are used to tell stories. When writers publish their novels, as memoirs or biographies there is not much controversy over the authenticity of the stories. People may question some aspects of the book however for the most part they assume that the majority is true and enjoy the story. Photographs should be considered in the same way. Photographs are used to tell stories and much like novels they can be altered to empower and dramatize the photograph. Stories are often dramatized to make a lasting impact on the viewer. I do not think that there is anything wrong with a staged photograph. All information should be questioned but its impact on the community should not be discredited. Whelan proves his conclusion, provides evidence, and disproves contradictory evidence. There is however still a slight possibility that Capa’s photograph was staged but it does not matter. Because of “Death of a Loyalist Soldier”, people were able to gain some insight into the brutality and spontaneity of war. A story needed to be told and in telling that story, no harm was done. If the story was staged, exaggerated, dramatized it served its purpose. It is very difficult to capture the perfect moment in life on camera often times we may need a redo to get it on camera.

•  As we already know, Robert Capa, “Death of a Loyalist Soldier” is consider the greastest war photograph of all time. A photograph that was taking during the Spanish Civil War and is also considered one of the most famous photographs. When I first saw this photographs, I thought it was fake because of the way the soldier fall into the grass. I think thats  the reason why many different authors have different views and controversy about the photograph. In addition to this, from my point of view this photograph is staged because of the way the soldier is holding the gun on his hand when he is going to the grass. As well this image is convicing because share many similitaries with other soldier falling and he is giving as well a lot of information. In conclusion, I think the authencity do not matter because at the end of the day everybody have different opinions and people always will judge and also they will look for a simple detail to make everything hard for others.

Robert Capa photograph “Falling Soldier or Death of a Loyalist Soldier” shows how photography can have many different views. According to Life Magazine, “Robert Capa’s camera catches a Spanish soldier the instant he is dropped by a bullet through the head in front of Cordoba”. Now if this is the case of the photograph than I believe Capa’s photo is staged. The way the soldiers body is position and seconds from dropping to the ground looks completely fake. There is no before and after photograph of the soldier. But there’s other photos where we can see a similarity between a soldier look alike. This shows that Capa’s photo can be staged because the soldier seems to appear in other photographs wearing the same clothing. There’s also another similar photo to Capas Death of a Loyaist Soldier Photograph. There is another photo of a soldier falling in the same spot as the “Falling Solider” but in this photo the solider is wearing different clothing.  Now, Capas photograph can also be a legit photo but it is very difficult to know if it is staged or not due to lack of evidence. In conclusion, this shows that photography can sometimes create controversy between the audience’s opinions.

After I read Richard Whelan’s article, the photography “Death of a loyalist solider” by Rober Capa in 1936 that comes up a lot of controversy. The image is surrounding of the sense that it is being staged.  When I first looked at the photography, I felt like the position of the soldier holding is incorrect. In the real battle, the soldier would hold his gun close to his chest or in front of his body. Not like the picture shown he was holding the gun away from in front of his body. Also, the image show that his face act like so comfortable. It is not like real war, the soldiers are painful when they get shot. So, it gives the sense to the people that the photography is staged. Whelan provide many historical evidence and opinions to prove that. In conclusion, I believe that the photography is powerful weapon. Small detail change of image that can make big difference for meaning of the photo.