Digital Journalist
Robert Capa is acknowledged to be the icon of conflict photography. From the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, through his famous coverage of D-Day, to his death at age 40 in Indochina in 1954, he was on virtually every front line for over two decades. However, as the expression goes, "behind every great man stands a great woman." For Capa, that woman was his collaborator and lover, Gerda Taro. A strongly influential force in his early career, Taro was with him in Spain, often photographing at his side. Sadly, her life was cut short in Spain when she was crushed by a tank. She was only 26 years old. For the past 70 years, her life and work have remained largely unknown to the public. But thanks to a remarkable exhibition currently at The Center of Photography in New York – on view alongside a show of Capa's work – Gerda Taro has finally been given a chance to emerge from the shadow of her legendary partner. We are proud to present highlights of these exhibits as this month's cover story, along with an appreciation by Ron Steinman.
If you have viewed the World Press Photo 07 exhibit, you will find the DOUBLE BLIND Paolo Pellegrin story of particular interest. Paolo received this year's First Prize Single News.
In the summer of 2006, Paolo Pellegrin and writer Scott Anderson covered the carnage in Lebanon. They both found that this was a different war from any they had ever experienced. The battlefield shifted daily. Waiters who brought them coffee were shooting rockets at Israeli positions a few hours later. Pellegrin and Anderson have recently published a book, DOUBLE BLIND, which testifies to the horrors of a war that Pellegrin claims "is a harbinger of the 'modern' wars to come." Pellegrin, who is a member of Magnum, the agency that Capa co-founded, was awarded the 2007 Robert Capa Gold Medal for his work on this story. View his compelling B&W photo gallery in this issue and you will see why.
