Henri Cartier-Bresson was a french humanist photographer, considered a pioneer in candid and street photography. Born in 1908, he took up photography in the 1930s and saw the art of photography as a way of capturing a “decisive moment” in time and preserving it forever.
He acquired a 50nm camera, giving him anonymity in a crowd during the intimate moments he wanted to capture and preserve, which was essential as most people act unnaturally when aware they are being photographed.
Cartier-Bresson published his book in 1952, called “Images à la sauvette”, meaning images taken hastily. The English translation was “The Decisive Moment” and it included 126 pictures from his travels over the world. The cover was drawn by Henri Matisse, who met Cartier-Bresson when he escaped a German work camp in 1943.
His dramatic black and white images are among the most iconic of the 20th century. His inentive work aided in defining the creative potential of modern photography, and his ability to capture life in the moment made his work creative evidence of important people and moments throughout history