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. 

the concept of the decisive moment is that Photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organisation of forms which give that event its proper expression.

Photo Analysis:

The lighting in this photo is taken in black and white however has more of a dark tone. the light reflects off the puddles on the floor and makes a reflection of the man walking and the building in the background.

the zebra crossing creates leading lines towards the main focus of the photo which is the man.

The man in the photo is in focus suggesting that the the photo was taken with a fast shutter speed. the background of the photo is less in focus than the foreground which helps to not distract the viewer of the main focus and also makes the photo not as busy.

this is a candid photo therefore the man didn’t know he was being photographed however I think the meaning behind this photo was to show a frozen image of a man on his way to work. the reason I think this was he is wearing a suit and looks like he is in a rush. Cartier Bresson saw cameras as an extension of the eye. I believe this is a good example of the decisive moment as it is taken at the perfect moment just as he is crossing the road with his reflection of himself in the puddle.

all of Cartier Bresson photos are taken in black and white as its taken on an old camera. the repetition of his black and white images creates visual pleasure to the people looking at his work as his photos are all uniform.