The history of photography is an ongoing dialogue between the human eye and the camera.As a photography school in Rome, at Daylight School we constantly emphasize a fundamental principle: the equipment isn’t the most important thing, but it does matter. The choice of a lens, a format, or a shutter speed determines how the photographer interacts with reality.
We selected 11 iconic photographs—cornerstones of our collective visual memory—and analyzed the mechanical device that made them possible. Here is the anatomy of our visual history.
1. September 11, 2001 (Lyle Owerko)
The Camera:Fuji GA645zi
While the world watched the collapse of the Twin Towers live on television, Lyle Owerko captured the tragedy on medium-format film.The Fuji GA645z isa unique camera: a hybrid combining the agility of a point-and-shoot with the high resolution of medium format. Owerko used it to immortalize the dust, chaos, and gravity of that day with an almost ruthless level of detail, making the drama tangible and eternal.
2. Earthrise – The Dawn of Earth (William Anders, 1968)
The Camera:Hasselblad 500 EL (Modified)
From the lunar orbit of the Apollo 8 mission, astronaut William Anders turns the camera toward our planet.The Hasselblad 500 EL—a Swedish masterpiece stripped of all superfluous elements and reinforced to withstand the vacuum of space—captures “Earthrise” onEktachrome film. It is the moment when photography ceases to be a mere document and becomes an existential mirror of an entire species.
3. Tank Man – Tiananmen Square (Jeff Widener, 1989)
The Camera:Nikon FE2
Beijing, 1989. From the balcony of the Beijing Hotel, Jeff Widener frames the lone protester standing before the tanks. In his hands isa Nikon FE2, a reliable and precise workhorse, equipped with a teleconverter to reach all the way down to the square. Nikon’s mechanical and electronic SLR captures the moment of greatest tension of the 20th century, before the film is hidden in the toilet tank to evade censorship.
4. The Afghan Girl (Steve McCurry, 1984)
The Camera:Nikon FM2
At the Nasir Bagh refugee camp, McCurry’s empathy meets the eyes of Sharbat Gula. The camera isa Nikon FM2, a fully mechanical SLR—indestructible and devoid of any automatic features. Paired with a 105mm lens and the rich color palette of Kodachrome 64 film, the camera fades into the background, leaving only the psychological power of that gaze on the scene.
5. The Hindenburg Disaster (Sam Shere, 1937)
The Camera:Speed Graphic
When the Hindenburg airship caught fire in New Jersey, photojournalism was still a matter of pure physical dexterity. Sam Shere had literally a single moment. He snapped the shot “from the hip” with hismassive Speed Graphic, the bellows camera par excellence for reporters of the era. A single sheet of flat film, a single shot available. His quick reflexes transform the explosion into an icon of technological failure.
6. The Abbey Road Album Cover (Iain Macmillan, 1969)
The Camera:Hasselblad 500C
Six shots in ten minutes, balancing on a stepladder amid London traffic. Iain Macmillan usesa Hasselblad 500C witha 50mm wide-angle lens. The 6×6 square format, typically used in studio photography, is brought to the streets to create the Beatles’ most famous album cover, transforming crosswalks into a permanent pop art monument.
7. D-Day at Omaha Beach (Robert Capa, 1944)
The Camera:Contax II
Robert Capa wades into the water under enemy fire in Normandy, armed witha Contax IIarangefinder. The 35mm format is a vital choice here: it allows him to be right in the thick of the carnage, agile and quick. The motion blur and graininess of “The Magnificent Eleven” (the only negatives saved from a developing error) lay the foundation for the raw, visceral aesthetic of modern photojournalism.
8. V-Day in Times Square (Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1945)
The Camera:Leica IIIa
The kiss that marked the end of World War II was captured thanks to the camera’s discreet nature. Alfred Eisenstaedt moved through the New York crowd witha Leica IIIa. The camera, silent and pocket-sized, did not come between the photographer and his subject, but became an extension of his eye, perfectly embodying the “decisive moment.”
9. The Last Photo of John Lennon (Paul Goresh, 1980)
The Camera:Minolta XG-1
An image of chilling historical significance: John Lennon signing an autograph for Mark David Chapman, the man who would murder him just a few hours later. Paul Goresh, an amateur photographer and fan, took this photo witha Minolta XG-1, an affordable consumer SLR camera. The ordinariness of the camera and the scene clashes sharply with the horror we now associate with that moment.
10. *Flags Over Iwo Jima* (Joe Rosenthal, 1945)
The Camera:Speed Graphic
The quintessential war photograph, a symbol of the American collective effort. As with the Hindenburg, Joe Rosenthal did not use a handy 35mm camera, but the heavy andcumbersome Speed Graphic. Positioning it takes time; taking the shot is a physical act. Rosenthal manages to capture the muscular tension and perfect geometry of the soldiers on Mount Suribachi on large-format film, creating an image that seems carved in marble.
11. *Guerrillero Heroico* – Che Guevara (Alberto Korda, 1960)
The Camera:Leica M2
The most reproduced portrait in human history (often mistakenly dated to 1969, but actually taken in March 1960). Alberto Korda is in Havana, during a state funeral. He hasa Leica M2 equippedwith a 90mm lens. He captures Ernesto “Che” Guevara’s proud and sorrowful expression by tightening the frame. The compactness of the Leica system allows Korda to isolate the face from its surroundings, bequeathing to history not a man, but an absolute symbol.
Beyond the Device: What
These 11 stories reveal an undeniable truth: the camera is a powerful tool, but it is the awareness of the person behind the lens that shapes the story. The Speed Graphic, the Hasselblad, or the Leica would never have produced iconic images without Shere’s quick reflexes, Macmillan’s vision, or Korda’s instinct.
AtADaylight School, our missionas a photography school in Romeis to help you reach this level of awareness through courses designed to help you master the technical aspects and put them at the service of your artistic vision.
Don't just be a camera user.Become a creator.