Learn from the great ones - Robert Capa

You may have heard of Robert Capa and have surely seen many of his historic photographs online or in various books. But why is Robert Capa important or more accurately what did he bring new to photography to inspire photographers to this day? 

Capa redefined wartime #photojournalism by insisting to work in trenches, in the midst of combat. Robert Capa once famously said, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” 

Point 1. - Get closer - What made Capa’s images stand out from his peers is that he got closer to the action than anybody. With physical proximity, he gained emotional proximity to his subjects. The photographs gave the viewer the feel that they were really there.  

Robert Capa © International Center of Photography , FRANCE. Normandy. June 6th, 1944. US troops assault Omaha Beach during the D-Day landings.

Point 2 - Overcome fear - Although it may be one of the most difficult things to, one has to try to overcome fear. 

Point 3 - Capture emotions - Capa's action photographs, such as those taken during the 1944 Normandy invasion, portray the violence of war with unique impact. 

In 1947, Capa co-founded Magnum Photos with, among others, the French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. The organization was the first cooperative agency for worldwide freelance photographers.