• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Gnarbox 128 Review
  • Becoming a Better Drone Pilot: Brother AirScouter WD-300C Head-mounted Display Review
  • The Traveling Photographer: Photographing People: Guidelines
  • Mirrorless Camera Maniac: Panasonic Leica 200mm f/2.8 Offers Superb Build Quality & Reach
  • The Vello BG-N19 Battery Grip for Nikon D850

Photofocus

education and inspiration for visual storytellers

Menu
  • Blog
  • Photo
    • Shooting
    • Gear
    • Lighting
    • Photography
    • Close
  • Video
    • Shooting
    • Gear
    • Lighting
    • Cinematography
    • Close
  • Learn
    • Maximize Lightroom
    • HDR
    • Video
    • Lightroom
    • Photoshop
    • Close
  • Gear Guides
    • Bird Photography
    • The Ultimate GoPro Kit
    • Close
  • Business
  • Inspiration
  • News
  • Podcasts
    • Audio Podcasts
    • Video Podcasts
    • Close
  • Software
  • Contests

Photographers That You Should Know About – Henri Cartier Bresson

Scott Bourne 04/01/2012 6

Photo by Maurizio Zanetti (Creative Commons)

This is the fourth in my “Photographers That You Should Know About” series – you can see the last one here – which links to the first two.

Henri Cartier-Bresson lived from 1908 until 2004. He was considered by many to be the father of street photography. He specialized in a photo journalistic style using 35mm cameras at a time when many of his contemporaries were using view cameras.

He set the standard for “reportage.” He thought of photography as a way of life. For almost five decades he used a camera to document life with a camera – but he thought of the camera as a version of painting – which he studied as well.

While much has been written about Bresson, I still find young photographers who have never heard of the master. He’s worth study. In my own personal experience – looking at his approach to photography, I learned a few things.

Bresson was interested in getting to the action. He traveled the world in search of stories that mattered and was in the middle of some of the biggest stories of his time. Whether it was Africa or the liberation of France during WWII, Bresson made it his business to go places for his photographic endeavors.

He didn’t think about photography as art so much as simple expression of truth. He often spoke badly of “artists” such as Ansel Adams and preferred a journalistic style that counted more on capturing what was happening rather than making it pretty. This has set up what is now the classic division between the masters – those who considered themselves artists and those who considered themselves truth tellers. The battle rages even today.

One of Bresson’s most interesting (and perplexing) quotes was Once the picture is in the box, Im not all that interested in what happens next. Hunters, after all, aren’t cooks. Henri Cartier-Bresson

I have to admit that I have pondered that statement for years, moving from point to point – trying to understand it. I’ve concluded he meant that getting the shot right (and true) in the camera was his highest calling. He didn’t do his own printing. He spent all his time looking for a chance to use the camera. It’s a very different approach than that taken by others who pursued modern art photography.

Bresson was also big on talking about the picture not the camera. He primarily used a Leica 35mm camera with a 50mm lens for almost all his images. He would immediately be hated in every camera forum now available because he would make fun of those who talk about and contemplate gear rather than vision. He would see that as a complete waste of time. He’d rather be shooting.

All that said, the two biggest lessons I’ve learned from my study of Bresson are:

1. The precise moment is more important than the event where the moment takes place.
2. The subject of the photo is always more important than the hobby, craft, science or art of photography.

Bresson was interested in life – it was simply the fact that he used a camera to capture it that made him famous. You could learn a great deal by studying this man. And I hope you do.

____________________________

  • About
  • Latest Posts
Follow Me:

Scott Bourne

Founder at Photofocus
Founder of Photofocus.com. Professional photographer. Author. Speaker.
Follow Me:

Latest posts by Scott Bourne (see all)

  • Gnarbox 128 Review - April 23, 2018
  • Thanks For The Memories - March 31, 2017
  • Alaska Eagle Photography Diary 2017 – Part 3 - March 29, 2017

Categories: Influential Photographers Tutorials Tags: Henri Cartier Bresson

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Google
  • Email
  • Print
 

You May Also Like:

Please Support Our Partners:

Datacolor Spyder – There is no better time to enhance your capabilities in color management and create outstanding images. Calibrating your display is the first step to ensuring your prints accurately match what you see on your screen.

Luminar – Meet the world’s first photo editor that adapts to your style & skill level. Luminar is the supercharged photo software that makes complex editing easy & enjoyable.

MPB.com – We buy, sell and trade used camera equipment with custom-designed technology, built to solve the challenges of peer to peer transactions. Our rapidly growing marketplace is available in the UK, US and EU countries. Build a camera setup that's right for you with MPB.

Platypod – Platypod Pro LLC makes the world's most compact mini tripod bases for photographers. Inspired by the duck-billed platypus, an animal with flat and broad feet, we designed our camera supports to be ideal for low-angle shots and situations where traditional tripods are cumbersome or impractical.

Perfectly Clear Complete – Built for precision. Made for beauty. Perfectly Clear has mastered the science of intelligent image correction - creating superior quality photos in record time, so you can get back to doing what you really love...in no time. Special Photofocus deal here.

HDR Learning Center – Check out new ways to use High Dynamic Range photography to make compelling images. Free tutorials and posts to get results. Produced in partnership with HDRsoft.

Adobe Portfolio – Beautifully Simple Creative Portfolio Websites are a snap to build. Try Adobe Portfolio, a tool to build your own personalized website in minutes, available to Creative Cloud subscribers today https://www.myportfolio.com.

ThinkTAP – New online education for photographers by working professionals. Be one of the first 50 people to buy our new time-lapse training for only $99 (that’s 60% off); use the code TL50.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Richard Harrington says

    April 22, 2015 at 4:34 am

    Choosing to preserve or strip metadata is part of the export dialog box.

     

Trackbacks

  1. Photographers You Should Know About | f/32 Photography Group says:
    May 13, 2012 at 11:28 am

    […] https://photofocus.com/2012/04/01/photographers-that-you-should-know-henri-cartier-bresson/ […]

     
  2. Is this ‘Blurry’ Photo a Work of Art? | Open to the Future says:
    June 3, 2012 at 7:23 am

    […] Photographers That You Should Know About – Henri Cartier Bresson (photofocus.com) […]

     
  3. Chasing rainbows with a butterfly net « I am. says:
    June 14, 2012 at 3:55 am

    […] that while meandering through the photography blogosphere I came across this entry by Scott Bourne (here) talking about photographers you should know about. He mentioned Henri Cartier-Bresson. Several […]

     
  4. Photographers That You Should Know About – Henri Cartier Bresson | christi~j photography says:
    March 8, 2014 at 11:56 am

    […] Photographers That You Should Know About – Henri Cartier Bresson. […]

     
  5. Photographers That You Should Know About – Henri Cartier Bresson | theartwallblog says:
    April 21, 2015 at 4:15 pm

    […] Photographers That You Should Know About – Henri Cartier Bresson. […]

     

Primary Sidebar

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our eBooks

  • Develop Great Images in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom (Scribd | iBooks)
  • The Basic Beginner’s Guide to Photography Light & Exposure (iBooks)
  • Secrets of HDR (iBooks)
  • 72 Essays on Photography (iBooks | Amazon)

Footer

Photofocus

Regardless of the type of photography you focus on, Photofocus is here as a helpful and educational resource for the aspiring and professional photographer. Our goal is to assist in your success as an artist.

Advertise on Photofocus

Our eBooks

  • Develop Great Images in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom (Scribd | iBooks)
  • The Basic Beginner’s Guide to Photography Light & Exposure (iBooks)
  • Secrets of HDR (iBooks)
  • 72 Essays on Photography (iBooks | Amazon)

Follow Us On Twitter

Follow @photofocus
Follow @scottbourne
Follow @rhedpixel
Follow @rodharlan
Follow @davecross
Follow @lightroomers
Follow @JoeMcNallyPhoto
Follow @Matthew_JordanS
© 2018 Photofocus · All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Advertise
    • Marketing Kit
  • Authors
    • The Publisher
    • The Founder
  • Contact Us
  • Legal
    • Contests
    • FTC Disclosures
    • Review Guidelines
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.