Henri Cartier-Bresson was born to a wealthy textile manufacturer in France in 1908. Because of this, he was supported financially by his parents to allow him to explore his photography career. He was a humanist photographer and was considered a master of candid photography. Cartier-Bresson first started discovering his love for photography in family holidays, and received his first Leica camera in 1931. His photos were first featured in an exhibit in the Julien Levy Gallery in New York in 1933. In 1952, Cartier-Bresson published his book of photographs named”Images on the sly” or “Hastily taken images”. Cartier-Bresson later retired in 1970, but continued to paint until he died in 2004.

Analysis of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s work

The lighting in this image is harsh, which allows for strong shadows and highlights to be created. The seemingly natural lighting is projected from the top right corner of the image, which casts shadows infront of the children. The harsh whiteness of the wall in the background juxtaposes with the dullness of the darker features of the people in the foreground, for example the clothing and the hair.

Although there is no repetition of line within the photograph, the leading line at the bottom of the wall leads the viewers eyes from one side of the image to the other, with the focal points of the people either side of this line.

There is a repetition of shape in this photograph which can be seen in the background of the image. The repeated, shady squares on the back wall of the image juxtapose the radiant white that they sit on. The use of black and white could be interpreted as a form of repetition, with the constant contrast between light and dark.

The majority of the shapes in this image are natural and organic, especially in the foreground of the photograph, however this is contrasted with the geometric squares repeated in the background.

The wide depth of field allows for the viewer to recognize the image as a whole, with both the background and foreground visible. The background is used as an empty space in order for the audience to focus on the figures in the foreground of the image.

The overall texture of the image has a smooth appearance as there is no representation of rough surfaces or texture. However this portrait image focuses more on tone and light rather than the texture of the photograph.

There is a strong contrast in tone in this photograph due to the use of the black and white filter on the image. Because of the monochrome appearance, the lack of colour means that the viewer can focus on the juxtaposition between light and dark.

The composition is unbalanced and unorganised, as the image was taken in the spur of the moment. There is a lack of use of thirds within the image as there is multiple focal points which don’t feature in the middle third of the photograph. However the focal points of the people act almost as a border around the bottom left and right thirds of the photo.

Elliot Erwitt

Elliott Erwitt, born in 1928 as a French-born American, is an advertsing and documentary photographer known for hus work of black and white candid photos in everyday settings. In 1939, Erwitt moved from Italy where he lived with his family, to the United States where he studied photography and filmmaking at Los Angeles City College at the New School for Social Research, he then graduated in 1950. In 1951, Erwitt was drafted intot he army, where he served as a photographer’s assisstant while stationed in France and Germany. Elliott Erwitt successfully started his career when a former director of the Farm Security Administration’ photography department hired him to produce a projects for the Standard Oil Company, he then became a freelance photographer to produce work for Collier’s, Look, Life and Holiday. Elliott Erwitwas then accepted as a member of Magnum Photos since 1954.

Analysis of Elliott Erwitt’s work

The harsh lighting projects harsh shadows and highlights in this image, which can be seen around the chair in the foreground of the image, aswell as around the features of the peoples faces such as under the eyes and around the jawline of the man in the backgrgound. As the image is taken inside, it is suggested that artficial lighting has been used to capture this photograph.

There is little use of line within this photograph, although the outline of the table and chairs can be said to act as leading lines, curving towards the boy in the middle third of the image, who acts as a focal point.

There is no use of repetition or echo within this photograph, as the composition is natural and has not be seen up by the photographer.

The shapes in this photograph are all natural and organic. The artificial shapes, such as the tables and chairs, have a curved outline to them. However these shapes have no relation to each other.

There is a very narrow depth of field in this photograph, as very little of the image is in focus. The only section which is in focus is the boy in the middle third of the image, which further proves this as the focal point.

Because of the even surfaces of the chairs and tables, the photograph overall has a smooth texture to it, however there is little to no use of texture in this image as this is not the main focus of the photographer.

There is a limited range of tone within this photograph as the image displays a black and white appearance. The lightest tones in this photograph can be seen in the clothing of the people, specifically the white shirt of the boy in the foreground. This is juxtaposed with the darker tones in the image, for example the chair in the foreground and the boy’s harsh, black jumper. Overall, this image tends towards darkness.

There is no use of colour in this image, which allows the viewer to focus on the use of tone and the narrow depth of field.

The composition of this photograph is unorganised and unbalanced. The majority of Erwitt’s work is taken of unusual features and personalities of the everyday settings. As he does this in the spur of the moment, his images lack compositional uniformity in order to understand the photograph better.

Comparison between Elliott Erwitt and Henri Cartier-Bresson

Elliott Erwitt and Henri Cartier-Bresson both share the use of monochromatic themes within their work, which allows the viewer to focus on other aspects of the image, such as tone or simply the message of the photograph. Both photographers also have a sense of almost aged photography as the use of black and white adds a vintage appearance. Both Erwitt and Cartier-Bresson take their images in the spur od the moment, which is why they are hard to understand compositionally.

On the other hand, I believe the main difference between Elliott Erwitt and Henri Cartier-Bresson’s work is the purpose of their photography. For example, Henri Cartier-Bresson acts on his humanist interest in order to take documentary-like photos, whereas Elliott Erwitt focuses more on capturing the abnormalities in everyday life.