Henri Cartier-Bresson was a french photographer associated with the humanist movement. He was born in Seine Et Marne, France on August 22nd 1908. He was the oldest of 5 children and the son of a wealthy textiles manufacturer.
He started off taking photos on a Kodak Brownie camera while on holidays with his family. He then went on to experiment with a 3×4 Inch view camera.
in 1929, He met an american by the name of harry Crosby, who gifted Cartier with his first camera. The two lived together as Friends and frequently took photos of their home in le moulin de solei. in 1931, Crosby committed suicide.
Cartier then went on to live in Africa before returning to France where he purchased a Leica camera with a 50mm lens. He decided to take to street photography and painted all shiny parts of the camera black in order to remain anonymous.
Key Images
Here are some key images from Cartiers work
Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare
Hyeres, France, 1932
Ireland-1952
France 1972
Analysis
I have chosen the “Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare due to its very intriguing nature. The photo has been taken after heavy rain and the rain is perfectly reflecting the running man and his surroundings, making it look like he is floating. The photo has been taken in natural lighting during the day .
The image is quite bright due to the reflective puddle and the sky. The man pictured is most likely rushing for the train, hinted at by the blur.