Photography Unit: Research on Two Photographers

Photography Unit: Research on Two Photographers

In this photography unit the students set out to research two photographers in order to have a better understanding of the way photographers think.I chose Richard Drew and Robert Capa because I felt that they both expressed their emotions through photography well.

Richard Drew (On the List)

Richard Drew was an American journalist that shot photos for the Associated Press. Drew was present at both the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy and the 9/11 attacks. During the 9/11 attacks he photographed one of the most iconic photos of the attacks. This photo was of a man who worked in the building falling out of a window rather than burning to death tragically. This photo encompassed the attacks so well because of the way that it was able to portray the man himself. Drew took many photographs of this specific man falling but the one that stuck with people was the one of the man faced down. This photograph was so powerful because it showed the extreme lengths that people would take in order to hope to avoid death. It is very interesting that Richard Drew was primarily a news photographer but just happened to be in the right, or bad, place at the right time. I believe that one of the most interesting facts about Richard Drew was his use of contrasting colors and shadows in both the 9/11 image and the Robert F. Kennedy assassination. This is really evident during the photo of Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination as most of his limbs are in the dark, as well as the people surrounding him. In the middle here his face and white undershirt are, there is a sliver of light which allows the viewer to see his facial expression.

Robert Capa (Off the list)

Robert Capa was an American born photographer who enjoyed photographing wars. As a young teenager Capa witnessed the rise of Hitler which led him into the idea of photographing wars. Soon after he had fled to Paris he had photographed the Spanish Civil War as well as World War Two. During these wars he put his life at risk many times in order to get what he believed was a great shot.After World War Two he even received a medal of freedom for his work during the time. I have found many of his photos interesting because they bring in elements that are not as commonly seen today. Some of these elements being the use of sadness, death, and despair. This is mostly due to most of his photographs being out in the battlefield but other photographs taken by him also have a twinge of sadness. Some of  his most amazing work was also very blurry, and I believe this to be because he was out moving on the battlefield. The blurriness in these images really shows the viewer that there is a lot of action during battles. It also shows how truly intense a battle must be, that someone not even fighting in it has to be moving around. Even near death Capa showed his dedication for expanding upon the tragic deaths in war, as he was sent to Japan to take photos. During this time the troops he was with were fighting in a very dangerous territory. Capa decided it would be a better photographing opportunity to show the advance of the troops, although whilst trying to do this he stepped on a land mine and died.