Introduction to William Klein
William Klein (April 19, 1926 – September 10, 2022) was an American-born French photographer and filmmaker noted for his ironic approach to both media and his extensive use of unusual photographic techniques in street photography. He enrolled at the City College of New York at the age of 14 to study sociology, later joining the U.S. Army during World War II and was stationed in Germany and later France, where he permanently settled after being discharged – later on, in 1957, he was awarded the Prix Nadar for New York, a book of photographs taken during a brief return to his hometown in 1954. Most well-known for his informal, up-close photographic style, he used techniques such as a slower shutter speed and high amounts of visual noise to give images an authentic feel. He is best known for his revolutionary street photography work, where he took pictures in a confrontational style, taking pictures of crowds or groups of people and presenting scenes as they were to him.


Observational vs Confrontational Style
Henri Cartier-Bresson can be described as a flâneur, an idle-man-about-town who strolls through cities and observes without interference. His photographic style was candid, a style where instead of setting up perfect scenes, shots and subjects he waits patiently for things to happen and presses the shutter when all the visual and compositional elements align perfectly to his standards (a term he nicknamed the decisive moment, best seen in the image ‘Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare‘). In contrast, William Klein wasn’t patient and instead was very confrontational, going up close to the scenes and taking snapshots. These often resulted in informal images where realities of scenes were shown since there was no setting up or waiting patiently for perfect moments, although sometimes Klein reports having luck and it being a matter of chance that he would occasionally capture extraordinary scenes (such as the image below, where Klein accidentally created a blur effect and found it so intriguing he then often began replicating this technique in future work).


Image Analysis 1 – Henri-Cartier Bresson (Observational)

Visual – The man is aligned on the right third, about to leave the frame, which creates a sense of movement in the image alongside the leading lines created by the fences horizontally following the man. Furthermore, there is clear depth and shape in the image as we can see reflections in the foreground, the man and muddle in the midground and the rest of the image in the background.
Technical – All aspects of the image are in clear detail, suggesting the use of a smaller aperture – the image is all in black and white, with a wide range of tones from lighter bleached out negative space in the sky to complete black in the man. A high ISO was likely also used, with visual noise present in the image, which when combined with the lack of colour creates a nostalgic and vintage look.
Contextual/Conceptual – This image perfectly encapsulates Henri Cartier-Bresson’s philosophy of the decisive moment, as if the shutter was pressed half a second earlier or later the outcome would’ve been completely different and the photo wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting as the man either would’ve likely left the frame or wouldn’t be mid-leap. This also ties into a key essence of his photography, patience, as Cartier-Bresson likely saw the scene about to unfold and waited perfectly for the compositional elements to align – he once wrote “I prowled the street all day, feeling very strung up and ready to pounce, determined to “trap” life, to preserve it in the act of living.“ which he shows perfectly in how he immortalised this small moment by turning it into an extraordinary and instantly recognisable photo.
Image Analysis 2 – William Klein (Confrontational)

Visual – The image is in black and white with a wide tonal range, ranging from lighter tones in the sky to midtones in the surrounding area and darker tones in the clothing of the children. Apart from that, there are no real intentional uses of visual/compositional elements, with the photo taking less of an artistic approach and more of a literal and objective scope, with a close-up style that noticeably differs from Cartier-Bresson’s.
Technical – There is a clear use of a slower shutter speed, seen clearly with the blurring of the car on the left but mainly on the two subjects where distortions in their face and hands can be seen due to movement. The image itself is also quite grainy (a theme consistent with all his imagery), which suggests use of a high ISO, again adding an authentic atmosphere to the image when combined with the lack of colour.
Contextual/Conceptual – When Klein took this image, he didn’t mean to have the two children be distorted and blurry, but since then it became one of his most iconic and recognisable photos due to that fact and Klein himself liked the effect so much that he began replicating it in later works. There is no real idea or meaning behind the photo itself as he didn’t want to present particular scenes as something they weren’t using visual and compositional techniques, waiting for the perfect moment, rather just opting take action to photograph scenes as they were to him, up close and personal (the key differentiating factor between his work and Cartier-Bresson’s).
Photographic Style Contrast Summary
Henri-Cartier Bresson



Key words:
Observational, candid, decisive moment, patience, flaneur, invisible, formal, poetic, single figures/couples.
Technical elements:
Natural lighting (daylight), smaller apertures (capture detail), fast shutter speeds, high ISO.
Visual elements:
Heavy focus on visual appeal through angles, perspectives and tone, as well as compositional perfection with techniques such as rule of thirds and often separating images into foreground, middle ground and background.
William Klein



Key words:
Confrontational, interactive, close-up, action, informal, distortion, crowds/groups.
Technical elements:
Natural lighting (daylight), wider apertures (less focus on detail), slow shutter speeds, high ISO.
Visual elements:
Less focus on visual and compositional elements, opting to photograph scenes as they are to him rather than wait for all elements to align perfectly to create extraordinary outcomes.
From these few images alone, the contrast between their two styles of photography is very apparent – overall, Cartier-Bresson focuses on distancing himself from the subject(s) and observation, whereas Klein is more close-up with his subjects and confrontational.