Mentor Project

Robert Capa

Robert Capa was a Jewish Hungarian war photographer who was present in many wars including WW2. Robert Capa was arguably one of the best photojournalists and combat photographers in photo history because of how close he got to the action  and how he showed the world what he and millions of soldiers see on the lines of combat.

Robert Capa was born in October 22, 1913 in the city of Budapest which is in the Country Hungary. He was born with the name of André Friedman but then changed it later to “Robert Capa” to sound more western to avoid discrimination and racism which was common in France. He fled to Germany due to being accused of being a communist sympathiser in Hungary, he then moved to France due to the rise of the Nazi party. He meet his fate in May 25, 1954 by stepping on a landmine during the First Indochina War in Thái Bình, Vietnam.

Capa was in many wars and conflicts and started his combat photography career in the Spanish Civil War in 1936 and was in China during the Chinese resistance to Japan in 1938. His biggest time in war would be World War 2 and ended his career in 1954 in the First Indochina War where he died.

Robert Capa’s photos had a lot of significance in photo history due to how iconic they were and how he showed the world how the world was the war, and the war was the world. His photographs also showed the love, hate, friendships, and hardships that those who were unfortunate enough to experience war went through.

“All you could do was to help individuals caught up in war, try to raise their spirits for a moment, perhaps flirt a little, make them laugh; … and you could photograph them, to let them

know that somebody cared” -Robert Capa

Capa in Spain: Robert Capa started his combat photography career in 1936 to 1939 in Spain during the Spanish Civil War where he took one of his most famous photographs dubbed “The Falling Soldier”. He worked with his companion Gerda Taro and fellow photographer David Seymour during the conflict. Capa was in love with Gerda but when he was in a short trip in France Gerda was killed and Capa took her death very hard and did not marry at all.

Capa in World War 2: Around 1943 Robert Capa joined the war as a combat photographer in Italy/Sicily and France. He photographed all over Sicily as American troops tried to cut off the Germans from reaching the port town of Troina which was the German army’s main route of evacuation into Italy. His pictures were used all over the Allied world to show the U.S landings in Sicily and the liberation from the Nazis. The landings on Sicily set the stage for the invasion of Italy. Landing on another beach again, Robert Capa faced the deadly waves of bullets and explosions on Omaha Beach in 1944 during the invasion of France (D-Day). From there on Capa took pictures of American soldiers fighting all the way to Germany.

The death of Robert Capa. Robert Capa was asked to accompany other combat photographers to Indochine mainly north Vietnam and he agreed. It was when the regiment he was with got caught in combat, while bullets traced the air, Capa got out of his safety of the jeep to climb a hill where he could photograph the French advance. It was there on that sad day of May 25, 1954, in Thái Bình, Vietnam where Robert Capa had stepped on a landmine.

Known as the world’s best combat photographer, the photography community mourns over the unfortunate news of the demise of a loved fellow photographer. Robert Capa.

Photos by Capa:




Now I will show my photo which is inspired by the pictures that Robert Capa took.


(IOS 3200, F 7.1, Shutter speed 1/60)
I had my friend dress up as a soldier and told him to look sad as like he had just came out of a firefight. I really like this picture and I think that it is my best portrait photo that I have ever taken.
I used the lighting room to use as a spot light on my friend as you look down and tired. There's a black board behind him insted of white and after that I used photo shop to make the picture look more aged and to put my friend in the true spotlight!