Robert Lebeck 3

Welcome back to our miniseries on Robert Lebeck. In this third installment we will learn about his most favorite photo and how he came about shooting it as well learn the obstacles he faced to get “The Shot”, something no other photographer present could do.

The most incredible thing about the photo is that it is a symbol of strength and the end of colonial rule. A regular African guy jumps up and steals away the sword of the Belgian king.

In other such conflicts the scenes were never photographed this way. This is an event would have landed in the columns of newspaper, had not the photos been created.

Robert Lebeck was at the right place at the right time and as he clicked away with his Leica he was already creating the shots that would become immortalized.