Introduction:

Henri Cartier-Bresson (August 22, 1908 – August 3, 2004) was a French photographer who enjoyed capturing candid photos and was considered a master at taking them.

He also contributed to the Magnum which as a community of photos which represents some of the world’s most renowned photographers. It has been ongoing since the 1930s and includes all types of photos such as industry, society and people, places of interest, politics and news events, disasters and conflict.

The photo above has quite a darkening effect due to the dark tones as well as the natural lighting which has been used. In the photo you can see the repetition of what the people in the photo are wearing as they are all wearing similar clothing which adds detail.

Additionally you can see the way the photographer has used his space by spacing out the people in the photo apart rather than together. The main focus of this photograph is the people in the photo i feel this because the background is very plain however it does have sharp edges to it.

Robert Frank’s photography is very different to others which may be because of the harsh black and white tones or even the style in which they were taken.

I feel as if his photography is more staged rather than being a real life event which would occur. The main focus of his images is the people which he he has chosen to use as well as the environment which they are in.The lighting of these photos came across as natural however I feel that the photos may have been manipulated in photoshop to add harsher tones.

I think the meaning of these photos in which he has taken everyone has a different opinions and the use of black and white tones may hide peoples personalities as the viewer won’t be able to get a sense of the people if you cannot see the colours of the clothes which they are wearing which usually reflects ones personality.

Personally I like the way he has chosen to use black and white in his photographs as it adds variation. However I also believe that these photos may not be appealing to everyone due to the lack of colour.

COMPARISON

I feel as the two images above are very similar in several ways as the both feature people with similar facial expressions as if they concerned or confused which adds character to both of the photographs. Additionally I also feel that the use of black and white adds harsh tones as well as a variety of contrasts. The majority of the people used in both of the photos have engagement with the camera which therefore makes the viewer feel more invested in their photographs.

However they are also different in many ways as Henri Cartier-Bresson’s photograph is focused on children whereas Robert Frank does not have a specific group of people which he is basing his photos on. Furthermore in Robert Franks’s photograph you can see the different reflections shining onto the bus considering that in Henri Cartier-Bresson’s photograph there isn’t any shadows or reflections but there is jagged edges which adds detail.

Henri Cartier was a french humanist photographer who was born in 1908 and died in 2004. He was well known all over most of Europe and France for his talent and was considered a master at candid photography (street photography). He was inspired when he was young by his father who was a wealthy textile merchant as well as his uncle, an accomplished painter.

The Decisive Moment –

 The decisive moment refers to capturing an event that is spontaneous, where the image represents the essence of the event itself. This simply means that the event/scene is not set up , its all natural and it captures the day to day life of whatever is being photographed . No poses , no acting , just all original moments. To capture a decisive moment , first you can find a good background, and wait for your subject to enter the frame at the right time, and then click to capture ‘the decisive moment. ‘ Or if wanting a more quicker moment to capture simply taking a photo so quick without the public/ whatever you are photographing knowing. This phrase ‘ the decisive moment’ is known mostly for street photographers such as Henri Cartier who was a co- founder.

Mood Board-

Analysis –

In this Photograph we can clearly make out that there are children playing down a street next to a concrete wall that seems to have barbed wire/ electric fence at the top. In fact this wall was the Berlin Wall that physically divided Berlin from east Germany. This wall was created in 1961 as for this photo being taken in 1962 , these children seem to have been interested in such a big change to their town/city.

The image itself was taken in black and white and we can see that the natural light floods in from the top right hand corner. We can tell its day time as there is no artificial lighting. The lighting makes the image look like a gloomy , dull day. In some parts of this image the exposure levels are a bit over what they should be , creating harsh black objects that contrast with the over exposed parts (the bright sky). As for the children being in shorts and dresses , this images seems to be set in a warm environment. As for this photograph being in black and white , the tonal range from light the dark is quite equal . They don’t overall each other. The lines in this image seem to be even and straight mostly. There isn’t much pattern to this image. But when looking at the image first glance, your eyes are drawn down the stretch of alley was as for the angle the picture was taken.

Linking back to ‘ The Decisive Moment ‘ this scene of children playing along the Berlin Wall captures a moment in time as for the children doing there own thing. For example… no acting , they are playing among themselves . Henri does a great job at showing off his talent of understanding what exactly ‘ The Decisive Moment ‘ is, but not only that , he captures a great street photography image.

Comparing and Contrasting Henri Cartier’s Work to John Bulmer’s work –

John was known for his use of colour in photojournalism. His street photography links to Henri Cartier as for capturing ‘ The Decisive Moment ‘ . His photography captures moments in time/scene/event. As for his photography is a bit more modern than Henri’s , he still photographs in style of Henri’s images. For example…..

Comparing Johns and Henri’s photography –

Both images have similarities such as the setting the photo was taken in. Both images have children playing among themselves and are set in a street/alley with concrete walls surrounding the children. The dull atmosphere such as the bare skies and grey flooring creates a cold/boring scene. The colours that stands out in Johns work (the red jumper or the blue dress) gives off a more intriguing look towards the photograph. This draws the viewers eyes more to johns work then Henri’s work. Another similarity found would be that both images have a stretch of alley way looking down the picture which draws our eyes towards the natural light down the image to the right. Even though both images are set in different areas of Europe, they both have that olden feel to them. As for in present time children are found using their free time on technology, in the years 1962-1964 (when these images were taken) children would be found playing in the streets with whatever they can find.

Street photography is photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places. Street photography is a sub genre of photojournalism. The very publicness of the setting enables the photographer to take candid pictures of strangers, often without their knowledge. Street photographers do not necessarily have a social purpose in mind, but they prefer to isolate and capture moments which might otherwise go unnoticed. Framing and timing can be key aspects of the craft with the aim of some street photography being to create images at a decisive or poignant moment. Street photography can focus on people and their behavior in public, thereby also recording people’s history. 

This image was taken of a mother and child by John Bulmer in 1965. Bulmer had his own style of street photography, taking intimate close shots of people on the streets and public places done with a wide-angle lens interspersed with compressed views of architecture, industry and townscape with a longer lens. The long lens was also used to isolate a figure on the streets. In addition to Cartier-Bresson, Bulmer admired the work in black and white of Bill Brandt, Larry Burrows, William Klein, Mark Kauffman, and particularly Eugene Smith; but he was asked to work in colour for the Sunday Times Colour Section from its launch in 1962. At the time, most photojournalists looked down on colour photography as commercial; and colour film was difficult to work with as it was slower than black and white and had less exposure latitude

Mikiko Hara

Portrait photography, or portraiture, is a type of photography aimed toward capturing the personality of a person or group of people by using effective lighting, backdrops and poses. A portrait photograph may be artistic or clinical. Portrait photography is one of the most popular genres of photography, with good reason. Good portrait photographers are able to capture the personality and emotion of people around them.

Contemporary portrait photography focuses on modern values from today’s world and how they are referenced or challenged in a photo and the message or emotions that reflects. They can either reinforce or challenge modern ideas and feelings by portraying different emotions.

Examples of Contemporary portraiture

These images were produced by Fernando Rodriguez a Santiago based photojournalist and fine art photographer.