Today I will tell you the inspiring life story of Robert Capa. One winter morning in 1940, a young man named Robert Capa packed his camera, a mountain of new rolls of film, and some clothes. In one of his jacket pockets, he carried a ticket to board a ship bound for World War II. Capa was one of the first war photographers in the history of journalism. Handsome, friendly, heavy drinker, brave and sometimes romantic, this Prague-born New Yorker was off on an adventure.
On “D” day, hundreds of thousands of young people accompanied by the terror of the sound of German bombs were on their way to the beaches of Normandy. It was freezing cold and many felt sick vomiting inside the boat. You can imagine the situation. Amazingly, no one complained. Their minds did not dwell on these details.
In this whirlwind of things, Capa trembled as he checked his camera over and over as if that would silence the deafening noise of enemy artillery. Suddenly, a thud! They had reached the shore. The sergeant shouted even louder than the bombs: “Out quick! Grouping at 20 meters! Now!"
Then, holding the rifle over their heads, tripping over their own legs, they jumped into the water and kept their eyes on the sergeant they could never lose sight of, the only reliable guide in that hell. Screams, explosions, deaths… Capa followed the 25-year-old “veteran sergeant”. Again, he raised his voice: “Again, 20-meter run and regroup. Now!"
Of the 20 boys Capa accompanied that morning, 2 survived. Capa only had time to capture a few images of those few meters of battle before he was forced to return to one of the Allied ships. Those slightly blurred photographs were the first evidence of Europe's liberation.
The next day they were all over Britain's newspapers and the world had images of the final battle of the war for the world's freedom. Upon arriving in London, Capa had a mere two days' leave to enjoy with his newly won British girlfriend. Several bottles of whiskey later, he was already aboard a plane from which he would parachute himself, camera in hand, to follow the next steps of the American army in Europe. He had a movie life before dying in the Indochina War at the age of 41.
Apprenticeship: Capa lived his mission intensely, took control of his life and was the best photojournalist in history. You can also live your story and leave a legacy, just know where you want to go and how to get there.
