Photojournalism Part 2

Robert Capa

Robert Capa was a Hungarian photographer and photojournalist who covered five different wars including the WW2. Originally wanted to be a writer but fell in love with Photography when he went to Berlin 1933. Capa became famous for taking the most incredible decisive moment pictures there are. Capa's pictures brought a great reality to his audience who hadn't experienced the war. This brought them a huge understanding about what was happening during that time. People were shocked to see some of the pictures however most of them were censored but Capa gave the impression to his audience that War was romantic.

Tony Vaccaro


Tony Vaccaro was an American who is best known for his photos that were taken in 1944 and 1945 - during the Second World War. After the war he became renowned for his fashion and his lifestyle. Taking photographs during the war was a very tricky job. While in deadly combat he needed dexterous balancin: with his rifle in crooked prone in his arm, he would snap a shot and let the camera drop to the strap around his neck then quickly move on.
Tony took over 10,000 photographs, both as a soldier and a civilian during the WWII and its aftermath.
Some of the negatives were either damaged or destroyed because of the harsh reality of the war. Many of the pictures that did survive have water marks and stains from the fields. Even though these pictures weren't in perfect condition, it showed the reality that the soldiers were going through during that time. The flaws in the image help to capture the reality of a chaotic battlefield.

Photojournalism Part 1

Henri Cartier Bresson

Henri Cartier Bresson was a French Photographer and was considered to be a godfather of photojournalism. He became inspired by a 1930 photograph by Hungarian photojournalist Martin Munkacsi showing three naked young African boys His first photos for photojournalism were published in 1937 for King George VI coronation.
Henri was referred as a stalker when taking pictures because it was important to take them at the right time, this is called "The Decisive Moment". Henri developed street photography or real life photos which has influenced photographers after him.


The Decisive Moment


The decisive moment happens when the action reaches its climax or when a subject portrays the perfect expression. It when the picture comes together and can create a huge impact on others.  Henri Cartier Bresson talks to the Washington Post and says: "There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative," he said. "Oops! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever." 
Henri Cartier Bresson photographed this man jumping over a broken wheel. It has said to been one of the greatest photos to be ever taken in the 20TH century. The picture was taken when the man was in mid air. If it had been taken any earlier or later this picture would have never become famous as it would have lost the shot of the man.

The Leica Camera

Henri Cartier Bresson was known for using a Leica Camera for most of his life. The camera's features allowed him to see most of the world at a certain time because of the little window on it. Normal camera's would have the window in the middle which meant that the photographer wouldn't be able to see  what was happening around him. But with this camera, the window was on the side which allowed Henri to look around rather than just focusing in what was in front of him.