Remembering D-Day: The Magnificent Eleven

One of Capa's shots from D-Day.

Robert Capa, who shot what is now called "The Magnificent Eleven" photos of D-Day--the only ones surviving of the invation from sea-level, was in the second wave at Omaha Beach. He took the same

Robert Capa: Journalist.

fire as any of the American or British grunts and instead of shooting back with am M16, he used a clunky, heavy combat camera.

He fired off 106 pictures, but a photo lab accident in London, ruined all but 11 of them. You know them to be blurry and urgent with the feel and shake and sound of the battle on their scratchy prints.

Capa famously said at one point, "If you pictures are no good, you ain't close enough." He got close enough often and in the face of dangers most of us would avoid assiduously. He is a real journalism hero to many of us.