Comparing Henri Cartier-Bresson and Bruce Gilden

Comparing Street Photographers Henri Cartier-Bresson and Bruce Gilden

“I’m known for taking pictures very close, and the older I get, the closer I get”- Bruce Gilden

Bruce Gilden – Mini Biography

Gilden is well known for his unique portraiture style. Gilden was born in 1946 and grew up in Brooklyn, New York, he went on to study at Pennsylvania State University but then later dropped out after finding it too boring. He then later went onto dabbling into being an actor and then settled on the idea of becoming a photographer after buying a camera. Bruce Gilden attended some lessons on Photography, however he is generally considered a self-taught Photographer.

Comparing Henri Cartier-Bresson and Bruce Gilden

Earlier Inclinations

Both Bruce Gilden’s and Cartier-Bresson’s earlier inclinations toward painting and acting influenced their later careers in Photography. After seeing Three Boys at Lake Tanganiyka (c. 1929) by Hungarian Photographer Martin Munkacsi, Cartier-Bresson was inspired to pursue photography with a seriousness that had been absent in his previous dabbling with the medium. He remembered the experience, saying, “I suddenly understood that photography can fix eternity in a moment. ” Bruce Gilden began his photography career as a bored ‘college dropout’ who was lacking inspiration after leaving University. He was fascinated with people on the street and the idea of visual spontaneity, Gilden turned to a career in photography.

Magnum Photos

Along with other influential Photographers, Henri Cartier-Bresson founded the Magnum Photo Cooperative in 1947. The agency helped protect the interests of the photographers, the rightful owners of their negatives and all reproduction rights. The founding members of Magnum divided and travelled the world with Cartier-Bresson documenting Asia. Bruce Gilden later became a member of Magnum Photos in 1998.

Examples of Bruce Gilden’s Photos