The 6th of June 1944 saw possibly the most significant event of the 20th century - D Day, the allies landing on the Normandy beaches. The most memorable images from that day were taken by Robert Capa - the greatest ever war photographer and one of my sources of inspiration. At 22 Capa photographed the Spanish Civil War and captured on of the most iconic and controversial images in photographic history 'The Falling Soldier'. Capa's story is remarkable and best told through his memoir of Wold War II 'Slightly out of Focus'. On the 6th June 1944 he landed on Omaha Beach with the first wave of American soldiers, camera not gun in hand. In 'Slightly out of Focus' he commented prior to boarding the landing craft:
"What is the difference between the war correspondent and any other man in uniform. The war correspondent gets more drinks, more girls, better pay and greater freedom than the soldier, but that at this stage of the game, having the freedom to choose his spot and being allowed to be a coward and not be executed for it is his torture."
Yet with that choice he still went where no other photographer did, and documented the memorable images of that day. Seven days after the invasion Capa found out that whilst drying the negatives an over exited dark room assistant had turned on too much heat and the emulsion had melted. Out of one hundred and six images taken that day only eight images were salvaged.
Capa was killed on 25th may 1954 in China, stepping on a land mine in what was to become the Vietnam War.
These two images are striking and show Capa at the heart of the action living his own adage that "If the pictures are not good enough, it's because you're not close enough'
