Robert Capa was a legendary Hungarian-American war photographer born Endre Ernő Friedmann on October 22, 1913, in Budapest. Together with Henri Cartier-Bresson and others, he founded Magnum Photos, revolutionizing photojournalism. Known as "the greatest war photographer," Capa covered five major wars throughout his career. His famous motto—"If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough"—became a guiding principle for generations of photographers. He died tragically on May 25, 1954, stepping on a landmine in Vietnam while covering the First Indochina War, at just 40 years old. His iconic photographs from the Spanish Civil War, D-Day, and other major conflicts remain powerful historical documents.
Related Quotes
“Into the future one dares not look.”
Source: Images of War
“The war photographer's most fervent wish is for unemployment”
Source: Slightly Out Of Focus
“If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough.”
Source: Robert Capa: cuadernos de guerra en España (1936-1939).
“For a war correspondent to miss an invasion is like refusing a date with Lana Turner.”
Source: Slightly Out Of Focus
“I hope to stay unemployed as a war photographer till the end of my life.”
“It’s not enough to have talent. You also have to be Hungarian.”
“The desire of any war photographer is to be put out of business.”
“What's the point of getting killed if you've got the wrong exposure?”
Source: Slightly Out Of Focus