D-Day photographers * Normandy
#2

Does the fact that most of Capa's negatives got destroyed make anyone elses stomach hurt to think about? My undergraduate degree was in photography (after a three stint as a music major) and I have gooned up my fair share of B/W negatives so I can understand how it may have happpened. None of my photos, however, were of world-wide historical significance of course.

 

I think one of the best photo journalists in WWII (in the Pacific anyway) is W. Eugene Smith.

Here is a link to some of his photos:

http://www.masters-of-photography.com/S/sm...t_sea_full.html

 

Attached is one of his more famous photo's. Also attached is rarely photographed subject - photographers! The place is New Guinea. The one on the left is holding a Speed Graphic 4x5 camera (most likely a Anniversary Graphic due to the date.) Interestingly enough, following the war, the US government destroyed most of the military cameras so as to not put graphlex out of business. I have Super Speed Graphic - a later model - and I love it! Imagine how well a 4x5 inch negative enlarges to huge prints. The only thing is that you have to use a 2 sided film back to hold your film. So you have a big heavy camera and several bulky film holders in which you only get 2 shots each. I have a book that shows a photographer holding up his camera with a big bullet hole in it. It took guts to hang out on a battle field; being shot at and not being able to shoot back (shooting something lethal anyway.)

Maj Todd O. USMC, Retired
Grandson of LTC John O'Brien
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Messages In This Thread
D-Day photographers * Normandy - by CaptO - 02-05-2008, 12:26 PM
D-Day photographers * Normandy - by CaptO - 02-05-2008, 01:06 PM
D-Day photographers * Normandy - by CaptO - 02-05-2008, 07:17 PM
D-Day photographers * Normandy - by verow - 10-02-2008, 11:55 AM
D-Day photographers * Normandy - by verow - 08-04-2009, 06:19 AM

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