Here are some of my favourite images taken in France – St Malo inspired by Henri Carton and the deceive moment.
Evaluation- I really like the way I got different angles and shapes within St Malo. I like how there is a mixture of many different people doing things. I got around 1000 photos for these area of photography which I really enjoyed. However I think I could’ve taken some clearer or different angled photos rather then just normal or up or down since it would mix it up a bit but other than that I really like and enjoyed taking this style of photography as it showed me how much work you need to do to achieve this style.
Here is my contact sheet for the images I took whilst during our day trip. Due to the amount I took it is to time consuming to grade them all, so to distinguish them I’ve flagged them as either white or black.
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French artist and humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography, and an early user of 35mm film. He pioneered the genre of street photography, and viewed photography as capturing a decisive moment. Cartier-Bresson was one of the founding members of Magnum Photos
What is the concept of the decisive moment?
The concept of the decisive moment implies that in the constant flow of events, there are moments in which the arrangement of everything within the frame is perfect. These moments are always spontaneous, so a photographer must be ready to click right away.
– Line – Shape & Form – Pattern – Tone – Colour – Texture – Space
Cartier used many quotes to relate within his work and some of them are..
“It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart and head.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson “To photograph: it is to put on the same line of sight the head, the eye and the heart.” ― Henri Cartier-Bresson “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.” ― Henri Cartier-Bresson “A photograph is neither taken or seized by force. It offers itself up. It is the photo that takes you. One must not take photos.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson
He was a photographer in the 90s and used a Leica 35 mm rangefinder cameras, I will be analysing his photograph’s.
What is it and how can you achive this?
The decisive photo is the moment of perfect position and how you use angles, shapes , lines etc to form the way your photo is being taken. its a spilt second of moment and can be done perfect in a click of a button with the right lay out and how you are trying to style it. Henri was the master of photography, Henri started off with art and drawings first but then turned to photography. He was a member of magnum photo group which is where he took cannon photographs which means the absence of posing – the person must be unaware for the photo to be candied. The point of the decisive moment and candied photos is that you can really feel the intellectual pleasure and seeing and understating what you can se and how you can feel it as well as the backgrounds in the image. Candied photograph’s have relation between shape and geometry. If they don’t relate to these things then its classed as a bad photograph states the photographer.
Here are some examples of some photos I took in St Malo trying to recreate some of Henri’s art.
“The simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as the precise organization of forms which gives that event its proper expression.”
Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004), a French photographer who is considered to be one of the fathers of photojournalism and masters of candid photography. He sought to capture the ‘everyday’ in his photographs and took great interest in recording human activity.
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French artist and humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography, and an early user of 35mm film. He pioneered the genre of street photography, and viewed photography as capturing a decisive moment.
Henri Cartier-Bresson pioneered photojournalism as an art form by traveling the world and capturing honest scenes of day-to-day life. Born in France in 1908, his passion for photography took him around the globe and saw him covering many of the 20th century’s major world events in stunning black and white.
He wrote,
“For me the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity, the master of the instant which, in visual terms, questions and decides simultaneously. In order to ‘give a meaning’ to the world, one has to feel involved in what one frames through the viewfinder. This attitude requires concentration, discipline of mind, sensitivity, and a sense of geometry. It is by economy of means that one arrives at simplicity of expression.”
Bresson stated in his documentary,
” photography is my version of physical pleasure, it is like hunting without the killing.”
“ Contemplating of how things just are”
This quote is very broad however expresses a very large opinion that can answer many factors. He is stating how impressive his work can be by photographing reality and every day scenes and scenarios. Conversely, this can be seen by a different angle due to the fact people naturally adjust their behaviours as it is human instinct to if they are aware of the photographer. Therefore, this genre of images are not completely realistic and accurate but can be differed to this opinion.
MOODBOARD OF HIS WORK
The Decisive Moment, Henri Cartier-Bresson’s influential publication, is widely considered to be one of the most important photobooks of the twentieth century. Pioneering for its emphasis on the photograph itself as a unique narrative form, The Decisive Moment was described by Robert Capa as “a Bible for photographers.” Originally titled Images à la Sauvette (“images on the run”) in the French, the book was published in English with a new title, The Decisive Moment, which unintentionally imposed the motto which would define Cartier-Bresson’s work. The exhibition details how the decisions made by the collaborators in this major project—including Cartier-Bresson, French art publisher Tériade, American publisher Simon & Schuster, and Henri Matisse, who designed the book’s cover—have shaped our understanding of Cartier-Bresson’s photographs.
Street Photography:the impulse to take candid pictures in the stream of everyday life. Street photography is a form of documentary but it is decidedly not reportage and rarely simply tells a story. Sometimes a street photographer captures something truly unusual – an extraordinary face, an accident, or a crime in the making. But more often a good street photograph is remarkable because it makes something very ordinary seem extraordinary.
These factors significantly influence street photography
SUBJECT MATTER/ CAPTURING A MOMENT> people and humanity, theatre of everyday life, poetics of streets, comic absurdities and humour, small acts of kindness, scenes of unexpected beauty, ordinary moments, visual pun and humour, gestures and poses, faces and crowds.
LOCATIONS & PLACES > inside the walls and on the ramparts, back alleys and sidewalks, beaches and coastal promenades, parks and public spaces, cafes and shops, street corners and intersections, signs and advertising, facades and architecture.
POINTS OF VIEW > low/ high/ canted angles, deadpan approach, light and shadows, intensity of colour, reflections in shop windows, shoot through glass, frame within a frame, focusing and un-focusing, up-close and details, shallow depth of field, artful and funny juxtapositions, geometry and space, lines and form, textures and patterns, signs and shop windows, advertising and graphics, reflections and mirrors.
APPROACH > capturing decisive moments, candid portraits, informal snapshots, inobtrusive observations (Cartier-Bresson style), interactive and confrontational (William Klein approach), spontaneous and subconscious reactions, poetic possibilities, inquisitive mind and roaming eye, looking and prying, shoot from the hip, serendipity and good luck.
CAMERA HANDLING >Lenses (focal length): use wide (18-35mm) to standard lenses (50mm). Focusing: automatic or manual – whatever you prefer. Exposure mode: S or T mode – (shutter-speed priority). Shutter-speeds: experiment with fast (1/125-1/500) and slow shutter-speeds (1/15-1/60). ISO: 100 (sunny weather), 200-400 (overcast ), 800-3200 ISO (inside or evening/ night). White Balance: auto
Camera settings
Henri Cartier – Bresson was known for using a Leica rangefinder with a 50mm lens. These cameras were compact, reliable and their design was quite small and discreet, making it very inconspicuous. This allowed him to use a quick and unobtrusive shooting style, which is essential for street photography.
He loved how stealthy the camera was, the shutter was quiet, making capturing moments easy to do without attracting attention to himself and therefor allowing moments to unfold naturally before him. This silent lens was crucial for someone who believed in capturing authentic unstaged moments.
He preferred the 50mm lens because it offers a field of view close to the human eye, ensuring he captured images that felt natural and immersive to the viewer.
Image Analysis – Using the rule of thirds
This image is specifically in Paris, there is not a specific ‘ moment ‘ however I would say the wheel barrow is the main subject as it is drawing a few other people in. This photo does not focus on one thing but rather focuses on a natural every day scene. This photo is interesting as the middle section has more light and lighter tones leading to shadows which outstand the 2 people in the centre, this helped me through the rule of thirds. This significantly contrasts to the top and bottom of the photograph as it is in the shade and has darker tones meaning there isn’t as much significant and vibrant shadows. Another factor that is important in Henry- Cartier Bresson’s work or even street photography itself is the environment around especially the geometry and lines. This split within shadows creates lines into thirds horizontally which effectively contrasts with the pattern of vertical lines and rectangles within the buildings and windows surrounding. The left foreground of the image I assume is stairs, so it creates a small amount of mystery of what is behind, when usually a viewer would not even give a thought what is behind. Lastly, another thing that caught my eye is that this photo is completely natural, because it is not focusing on one subject or person, he did not have to ask to change or adjust a pose. Therefore, these people in the image have remained there behaviours. Which means that this photo is not contradictory and is ‘ The Decisive moment’ as he probably waited for the right time to take this photograph and succeeded.
Henri Cartier-Bresson, born August 22, 1908 Chanteloup, France, and died August 3, 2004, Céreste, was a French photographer whose humane, spontaneous photographs helped establish photojournalism as an art form.
His photographs impart spontaneous instances with meaning, mystery, and humour in terms of precise visual organization, and his work, although tremendously difficult to imitate, has influenced many other photographers. His photographs may be summed up through a phrase of his own: “the decisive moment,” the magical instant when the world falls into apparent order and meaning, and may be apprehended by a gifted photographer.
The Decisive Moment
Henri Cartier-Bresson is rightfully recognized as a master of the craft. He was one of the first true street photographers and artfully captured everyday life through the lens. But he also coined a term:
The “Decisive Moment”.
With it he described the exact instance when a unique event is captured by the photographer. When something that may never happen again is frozen in the frame. He said it best himself, in an iconic quote:
“To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of forms which give that event its proper expression.”
Beyond “The Decisive Moment”, the title of his 1952 landmark monograph and philosophical theory on photographing as the artless art, Cartier-Bresson was a zealous geometrician and strictly adhered to only composing within the camera and never in the darkroom. His passion for visual harmony, humanity and the impermanence of reality focused by a classically trained eye allowed for the creation of an unrivalled body of historic imagery.
How did Henri Cartier become famous?
He was drafted into the film and photo unit of the French army in 1940 and was taken prisoner by the Germans that same year. After three years of imprisonment he escaped and began working for the French underground. In 1943 he made series of portraits of artists, including Matisse, Bonnard, and Braque. Through 1944 and 1945, Cartier-Bresson photographed the occupation of France and its liberation. In 1947 he co-founded the Magnum agency with David Seymour, and George Rodger. He spent the next twenty years traveling around the world, then received the Overseas Press Club Award four times; the ‘American Society of Magazine Photographers award’ in 1953; and the ‘Prix de la Société Française de Photographie’ in 1959
A few Iconic Artworks By Henri Cartier Bresson
Rue Mouffetard, Paris
Seville, Spain
Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare
What did Henri Cartier-Bresson discover?
In 1931, Cartier-Bresson discovered the hand-held Leica camera and was practically consumed by the new art form.
He was known for using only one camera, a Leica rangefinder, and one lens, a 50mm, for almost all of his life’s work. The Leica continued to be the go to device for photographers after World War II, especially for New York City photographers such as Roy De Carava, Lisette Model, William Klein, and Helen Levitt. Robert Frank, who is best known for his book The Americans (1959) and was the leading influence on street photographers of the succeeding generation, documented culture throughout the United States and in Europe.
Henry Cartier-Bresson who was born in August 22, 1908, Chanteloup, France who then died on the 3rd of August 2004, was a phenomenal photographer whose photographs helped show Photojournalism as an art form. He expresses his theory towards photography, where it implies that photography can capture the meaning beneath outward appearance in instants of extraordinary clarity, in his book of images à la sauvette
He attended school in a village not far from Paris and in 1927 until 1928 he studied in Paris with Andre Lhote, an artist associated with the cubist movement. With Lhote’s help, her placed Henry a lifelong interest in painting which was a crucial factor in the education of his vision. Then in 1929, he went to study literature and painting in the University of Cambridge.
Some of Cartiers images had been exhibited in 1933 in the Julien Levy, Gallery in New York City. In the same year, in partnership with the U.S photographer Robert Capa and others, founded the cooperative photo agency called Magnum photos. This amazing organisation gifted periodicals global coverage by some of the most talented photojournalists of the time. This is where Cartiers concentration towards reportage photography became at its finest. The following three years, he was found in, India, Indonesia, Egypt and China. The materials taken in this time and in 1950s Europe, allowed him to create subjects to his many books which were published between 1952 and 1956. These publications majorly helped his reputation as a master of his craft.
In mention of his crafts which is best known as, Images à la sauvette, consists of an important statement with great meaning, utility of photography and technique.
“I prowled the streets all day, feeling very strung-up and ready to pounce, determined to ‘trap’ life – to preserve life in the act of living. Above all, I craved to seize the whole essence, in the confines of one single photograph, of some situation that was in the process of unrolling itself before my eyes.”
THE DECISIVE MOMENT
The decisive moment is described as something that explain Cartier-Bresson’s influential publication. This concept is said to be internationally one of the most critical photobooks in the Twentieth century.
Robert Capa, described it as “a bible for photographers”
Originally titled as “images a la sauvette” which means images on the run in French. The book was published in English with a new title the decisive moment. It is Frequently described as “capturing an event that is ephemeral and spontaneous, where the image represents the essence of the event itself”. However, it is the complete opposite because it is about taking pictures in a dynamic and moving world.
“Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson
MOOD BOARD:
Why is a camera an extension of the eye?
it is believed that the camera is an extension of the eye because it shows what one sees and is able to capture what one sees. Its also an extension because it can capture something that is not seen up close by the human eye but is captured by the camera.
What is the physical pleasure in making photographs?
The pleasure of being able to create an image that has simplicity or depth. The pleasure of producing images and capturing a moment to remember and romanticise. The whole process of producing an image is rewarding and quite fulfilling.
How can photography be links to hunting?
In photography, some hunt for a certain subject or a certain scenario or person. Like hunting, where they wait for the prey to come in sight, its like taking pictures. You wait until you capture the perfect subject, scenario, environment etc. Photographers are hunting for the ultimate picture. Its a decisive moment.
Henri Cartier-Bressons work, as he puts it, is a ‘physical pleasure’. By carrying a camera he says it is an ‘extension of the eye’. This can be seen in his collection of photographs that capture a preserved time capsule of day to day life.
Biography –
Born 22nd August 1908, in the outskirts of Paris in Chanteloup, Seine-et-Marne, Henri Cartier-Bresson grew up with an interest for art. Initially showing a fascination in surrealism painting, in 1932, during a year-long stay in the ivory coast, he discovered his passion for photography with a Leica, his camera of choice.
First exhibiting his artwork only a year later, It featured at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York. During the Second World War, Cartier-Bresson joined the French army, where he was promoted to a corporal in their Film and Photo unit. In 1940 during the invasion of France he was captured by German soldiers, up until 1943 he was a prisoner of war in which he managed to escape from on his third attempt. Joining an underground resistance network, he helped others escape from nazi captivity.
Rue Mouffetard, Paris, 1954
During the liberation of Paris in 1945, he photographed the allied victory with a group of professional journalists and then went on to film the documentary Le Retour (The Return).
Post war, he met up with other famous war photographers who served like him during the conflict, the most notable being Robert Capa, As well as some others like George Rodger, David “Chim” Seymour and William Vandivert, here they collectively founded Magnum Photos. An organisation that till this day, represents photographers, and exhibits and licenses their work.
Magnum photographers during their annual meeting. Courtyard of the Lycée Fénelon, Paris. June 1990.
Spending 3 years travelling in the East, Cartier-Bresson retuned back to Europe in 1952, once returned, He published his first book, à la Sauvette, in english meaning ‘The Decisive Moment’.
In This book, Cartier-Bresson defines his approach to Photography…
“for me the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity, the master of the instant which, in visual terms, questions and decides simultaneously… It is by economy of means that one arrives at simplicity of expression.”
A young Cartier-Bresson, holding his signature Leica.
Later on in life Cartier Bresson, made a return to painting in 1968. In 2003, his wife and daughter created the Foundation Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris to preserve his legacy and his work. Throughout his lifetime, He had received numerous awards, prizes and honorary doctorates. A year later he passed away in his home, located in Provence on August 3rd, 2004.
’The Decisive Moment’ –
Henri Cartier-Bresson, in his book ‘The Decisive Moment’, created a series of images, pioneering in their unique story telling and have since been widely considered as one of the most important photo books of the 20th century. Described by Robert Capa as ‘a Bible for photographers’ his book is an interesting dive into the world through a camera.
The concept of the decisive moment comes from the idea that everything that occurs happens in a flow of events, In Cartier-Bresson’s eyes, there are moments within these events that contain a perfect arrangement within a frame. These moments are always spontaneous and often never repeat themselves, therefore making the photographer vigilant to be ready to capture that decisive moment.
Cartier-Bresson believed that the process doesn’t come randomly through attempts to capture that moment, it is up to the photographer to observe, anticipate and patiently wait for your focus to choose something you notice and let that be your decisive moment. To get the perfect image, timing and composition make up 2 strong factors in creating a impactful image such as Cartier Bresson’s. Another big part is the meaningful element, this can something that conveys an emotion or statement, for example a couple, someone doing a job, people enjoying something etc.
For this final image, I edited it using Lightroom and I decreased the saturation for all of the colours except for red. This left the image black and white, apart from the parts which were red. I then used the adjustment brush tool in Lightroom to paint the remaining unwanted coloured areas to make them also black and white. This left the image black and white, with the red backpack still the same colour as I expected.
For this particular image, I experimented using two different editing techniques. Firstly, I chose a photo where the main subjects were focused, and edited the photo using Adobe Photoshop. I selected both of the main subjects and added the filter ‘motion blur’ to make it looks as though they were moving. I then edited the image using Lightroom so that the man’s shorts was the only colour left in the image. To do this, I decreased the saturation for all of the colours apart from yellow and orange, and used the adjustment brush to paint the unwanted coloured areas black and white.
Finally, I cropped the image to make it squared to focus on the main elements of the image.
Evaluation:
In St. Malo, I focused on taking images on either the French aspect of architecture or people living an ordinary life as I think they go really well together because they all hold a certain spontaneity. I found that my photographs linked well to the topic and I think all of my edits were very successful as I experimented with new editing techniques.
Henri Cartier Bresson was a humanist photographer, who lived from 1908 – 2004 in France with a loving wealthy family. He always had a passion for the arts since being introduced from a young age and began with drawing and painting as a child. When he was introduced to photography he began taking his camera everywhere with him almost like an extra limb as it helped him interact with the world. Photography inspired him to travel the world to explore the cultures of other countries and ended up travelling Africa and Europe. He believed that photography was not just about photos but the essence of existence throughout the world.
Cartier – Bresson photographed candid society with a blind understanding that ordinary people have ordinary lives wanting to capture that through photos. His camera was like an extension of his eye and he used the analogy of ‘its like hunting but we don’t kill’ to explain the idea that this was his physical pleasure. This analogy shows that through the idea of hunting he was patient and precise with everything that led up to his photos due to the technology not being advanced, and the specific moments needed. Bresson was also present at a lot of historical events through his lifetime and also wanted to capture the realism and naturalistic aspect that these events may have.
The reason for the philosophy behind his photo ‘ Gare Saint-Lazare’ was the idea that ” there is never not a decisive moment “. Therefore any moment could be a photo, and he made this shown with every piece of work he produced.
The photo of ‘Gare Saint- Lazare’ was taken in Paris in the 1930’s at the station of St Lazare. In this photo shapes and shadows are extremely important to show all kinds of composition.
leading lines usually start off the frame and usually guides the eye to follow the main focus which in this case is the Jumping man. The leading lines in this photo is the fence and the reflection which give a set of parallel lines that help follow this jumping man.
For photos like this, there needs to be a lot of balance in the photo to almost level it out and the was that this was done in this particular photo was the view of the large clock tower in the background which balances with the reflection of the jumping man in the water. This shows almost a feel of Ying and Yang as the difference of the reality of the clock tower and the intriguing thought of the reflection being almost an alternate place clash so well together.
There is a lot of negative space in this photo too, like the white sky space above the landscape and the empty ground space seen underneath the reflection of the jumping man. This helps the main focus of the photo ( the jumping man ) to stay in focus all throughout.
The symbolism of the man jumping in the photo is also a really nice touch to this photo because again it almost feels like an alternative world through something like a looking glass foreshadowing the photo within itself almost giving a unnatural feeling throughout.
His use of rule of thirds is very effective as the use of having the main focus of the man being in the middle right third almost helps the eyes of viewers follow through his moment in the photo, almost helping us imagine the movement that would be happening.
Examples of his work –
As you can see, all his photos show the natural world without filter and the candid society that people live in. The photos have been taken at almost the perfect time showing the naturality of everyone in shot and I think that that that is a very powerful idea.
The camera and lens –
Henri Cartier – Bresson was known for using a Leica rangefinder with a 50mm lens. These cameras were compact, reliable and their design was quite small and discreet, making it very inconspicuous. This allowed him to use a quick and unobtrusive shooting style, which is essential for street photography.
He loved how stealthy the camera was, the shutter was quiet, making capturing moments easy to do without attracting attention to himself and therefor allowing moments to unfold naturally before him. This silent lens was crucial for someone who believed in capturing authentic unstaged moments.
He preferred the 50mm lens because it offers a field of view close to the human eye, ensuring he captured images that felt natural and immersive to the viewer.
