Henri Cartier-Bresson Case

Photography & Photojournalism

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson was a master of candid photography who is considered to be the father of modern photojournalism. Bresson was renowned for his ability to capture the perfect instants in time, which were able to capture the entire essence of the moment. He described his photography as, "instant drawing" and he was adamant about the idea of how each perfect photo was a fleeting shot that was there and goes away in an instant, and it is a matter of having the perfect timing to capture that image. He was good at being in the right place at the right time, and this is very important when it comes to photography. His main philosophy when it comes to photography was that "there is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment". This means that photography is the recognition of a fact and the organization of perceived forms that show that fact at an instantaneous moment. It took a lot of intuition to produce some of his outstanding photographs because without his wonderful human perception, intelligence, and innate sense of what was going on in the world he would not have been able to extract the significant meanings from his surroundings and produce them in photos for all of us to enjoy. The image that would be most significant passes by in a split second, and you need to know the composition and the exact moment when to click the camera in order to capture what the expression of the moment offers you. He was a major developer of the "street photography" and "real life reportage" which helped to pave the way for many photographers and photojournalists to come. When it came to the actual shot, he believed in composing the shot with the viewfinder, and so all of his images were displayed in full frame without much cropping or manipulation. He also only shot in black and white, and also has admitted to not liking the process of photography. Despite not being interested in it, he has produced some amazing prints and is a very well respected photographer by critics and viewers alike around the world.