Robert Capa: one of my photographic heroes, because he was able to show the beauty and joy of life, even in the midst of pain war, and suffering.Â
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This is what I get from Capa:
Even though there is much pain and suffering in war and humanity — the joy far outweighs it!
Robert Capa was the ultimate optimistic photographer. Just look at all his photographs shot during war; he found beautiful ordinary moments despite all the pain and violence.
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Photographing war is very tricky — because you still want to show the pain and tragedy. Yet, we must also show that in pain and suffering, there is still joy and levity.
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Some of my favorite optimistic photos from Robert Capa:
FRANCE. ICP 054 Montrouge. 12 juin 1936. Défilé populaire au vélodrome Buffalo. Paris. 1936. A march at the Buffalo velodrome. Supporters of the leftist liberal Front Populaire coalition government. FRANCE. May 1939. Near Biarritz. Orphans of the Spanish Civil War under the care of the “Foster Parents’ Plan for Spanish Children”, largely financed by the United States. SPAIN. Madrid. November-December 1936. A member of the International Brigades. SPAIN. Barcelona. August 1936. A Loyalist militia woman. FRANCE. Cherbourg. June 28, 1944. American soldiers and French civilians celebrating the liberation of the city in front of Cherbourg’s city hall. SPAIN. Madrid. November-December 1936. A member of the International Brigades. CHINA. Hankou. March, 1938. Children playing in the snow. FRANCE. Brittany. Pleybon. 1935. A crowd gathered in front of Mr Pierre Cloarec’s bicycle shop. The owner of the shop is racing in the Tour de France. SPAIN. Seville. April 1935. At the annual Easter fair. icp 518 Palermo, July 23rd,1943. A member of the American Medical Corps, just after the liberation of the city.
And elegant, simple, and dynamic compositions from Robert Capa:
Never lose your optimism!
ERIC