Other Life Aspirations of Cartier-Bresson

Henri-Cartier Bresson took many of his pictures on a whim, when he saw something he thought was worth taking a picture of.

This is, of course, as opposed to a planned shoot. His pictures have many graceful, dancer-like qualities to them. Some of these qualities include: tension, balance and surprise. His photos are also often described as surprising abstractions. He describes himself as a photojournalist, but he is so much more. He got a lot of his influence from studying painting with Andre Lhote. His photos solve visual problems the eye didn't even know it was having.

Henri always seems to have a camera around his neck, ready to take a picture of anything that catches his eye.

Cartier-Bresson Infuences

Henri Cartier-Bresson was one of the first photographers to create books out of his work, and he brought his work all around the world. He started taking photos of events like the Spanish Civil War, and truly expanded from there. He took photos of national events such as that civil war, but was influenced by the streets and other things right under his nose. He even photographed famous people such as Mahatma Gandhi, and Marilyn Monroe. He kept all of his photos in these books and journals, best known as photojournalism. He was in France when he published his first book, The Decisive Movement. He did many great things with his photography, and was so influenced by his time in India that he went on the write about it in one of Life Magazine's most famous and well done articles. 

www.biography.com/people/Henri-Cartier-Bresson-9240139 

Henri-Cartier-Bresson

This photo by Henri-Cartier-Bresson shows three small boys playing "cowboys" in the street.

The movement of the game is really strong in this photo, because the boys' arms and legs are bent, and their guns are ready to fire. There is also movement because the three boys are shaped in a triagle, and this makes your eyes move around the whole composition. Even though the picture is in black and white, you can still see difference and contrast in what would be the colors of the boys clothing. The very large pole in the background is only one third of the way into the photo. If it were in the center, it would become the focal point of the shot. The one boy on the right side of the picture is the true focal point. Their difference in age with the boys, and also the people in the background, which are not influencing the shot, add more interest to the photo. The photographer would have had to have a fast shutter speed to capture the movement of the boys and keep the picture perfectly clear. This photo keeps your interest for a long time because of the different elements, and opposingly, it's simplicity. This shot lets your mind create what happened before and after the picture was taken.