Henri Cartier-Bresson, born August 22nd, 1908 in North-western France, is considered to be one of the most influential photographers of all time, with his distinctive and inquisitive style of portraiture. His photobook, ‘The Decisive Moment‘, is one of the most famous of its kind and explored his mastery of candid street photography.
The book essentially works to express Cartier-Bresson’s belief that there is a ‘decisive moment’ in every scene laid before a photographer. It is based on an innate intuition and key knowledge of both composition and aesthetic value that Cartier-Bresson feels is integral to the skill set of a photographer.
Cartier-Bresson’s career turned towards the documentary sector of photography when he co-founded the Magnum photojournalist agency in Paris in 1947, an association that focused on the important job of documenting the world’s biggest events through the accumulation of press prints from its members. He found himself photographing the liberation of Paris in 1944, the Maoist revolution in China in 1948, the funeral of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, and both the building of and the fall of the Berlin Wall, in 1961 and 1989 respectively.
His interest in the composition of a scene clearly demonstrates his personal enthusiasm for Surrealism and cinematography, evidenced by his first job as second assistant director to French director Jean Renoir.
I plan to use the work of Cartier-Bresson as inspiration for my upcoming photography trip to St Malo.
Photography is a way of living. To me, my camera is an extension of my eye.
Henri Cartier-Bresson