Re: the shaky pics - in addition to all the other conditions I mentioned, I forgot to mention that Capa had just waded off a Landing Craft that was almost certainly reeking of vomit - from soldiers who had succumbed to motion sickness caused by the rough seas, combined, no doubt, with nerves.
It always gives me goosebumps to think of what everyone involved in that landing went through that day. Just incredible! There was a terrific PBS special on D-Day last night. I was glad that they mentioned Canada's contribution on Juno Beach; considering our population relative to the US and Britain, the fact that we had and took one of the five beaches was quite an achievement, imho. Of course, the Yanks had by far the toughest going on their two beaches. I think we all owe a debt of gratitude to all involved - including those who were there to record the action, so it won't be forgotten regards, frank Bob Walkden wrote: > Hi, > > > I read somewhere once that some wags accused Capa of ~purposely~ shaking his > > camera so that the images on that beach were blurred. > > It's well known that the photos were accidentally ruined by a 'Life' > employee, and that Capa was very magnanimous about the whole business, > never blaming the lab tech. who made the mistake, and apparently > threatened to resign if the tech. was fired. > > 'Life' however initially lied to Capa about what had happened, and said > they'd been ruined by water seeping into his Contax. They subsequently > printed in the magazine the explanation 'Immense excitement made Photographer > Capa move his camera and blur picture', which was an out-and-out lie, > and made Capa very angry and resentful. > > Small world: > > One of the lab technicians developing Capa's and other people's films in the > London office that night was 18-year-old Larry Burrows, who went on to achieve > great fame as a photographer in his own right. He was the 1st British > photographer to die in Indo-China, as Capa was the 1st American, and for > his photos in Vietnam he won the Robert Capa medal. Many people over the years > have assumed that it was Burrows who ruined Capa's film, but this is apparently > not the case. > > > As if that would make the photographs any less incredible. But, with the > > heavy overcast skies, probably shooting at a slow shutter speed, heavy waves > > up to his chest, being strafed with German bullets, chaos all around him: > > it's hard to believe that he could squeeze the shutter release under those > > conditions at all. > > He was not embarrassed to admit that he shit himself several times > while under fire. > > The recently-published biography "Blood and Champagne" by Alex Kershaw > is full of similar edifying tales. > > --- > -- "The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true." -J. Robert Oppenheimer - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
