Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/05/15

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Re:Capa at Omaha
From: "Bryan Caldwell" <bcaldwell@softcom.net>
Date: Mon, 15 May 2000 18:21:00 -0700
References: <B54558DB.52F9%jbcollier@home.com>

John,

The destruction of the negatives has been widely reported over the years,
including in the rather complete Capa biography that was published about 15
years ago (the author's name escapes me). I've also seen, at a Magnum
exhibition, several prints made from Capa's shots that showed obvious heat
damage to the negative emulsions.

The myth that was often told was that it was Larry Burrows who, working as
an intern at the processing lab, was the one who destroyed the negatives.
Burrows did work at that lab, but was not responsible.

Bryan


- ----- Original Message -----
From: "John Collier" <jbcollier@home.com>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Monday, May 15, 2000 6:33 AM
Subject: [Leica] Re:Capa at Omaha


> I thought that this story was used to explain the poor quality of the negs
> at the time, all fuzzy and blurred. It seems to me that I read an article
in
> the old American Photographer that this was a myth; the negs were fuzzy
and
> blurred because untold tons of munitions were being directed at the
> photographer during the scheduled shoot. I guess the Germans were a little
> annoyed that the art director forgot to tell the right time of the
session.
> Regardless of the "quality", they show us what it was like that day far
> better than any technically superior picture could.
>
> John Collier
>
> > From: "Bryan Caldwell" <bcaldwell@softcom.net>
> >
> > A great deal of the "look" of Capa's D-Day pictures comes from the fact
that
> > an overzealous darkroom technician left them too long in the film dryer
and
> > melted the emulsions - leaving most of them unprintable. This would have
> > happened regardless of what camera he was using.
> >
>

Replies: Reply from "Michael Volow" <mvolo@duke.edu> (Re: [Leica] Re:Capa at Omaha)
In reply to: Message from John Collier <jbcollier@home.com> ([Leica] Re:Capa at Omaha)