Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Carter-Bresson to give him his full title is a French photographer who was born in 1908 and passed away in 2004. He was considered to be one of the best or not the best photojournalism photographer the world has ever seen. His concept of photography for capturing great images was what he called “The Decisive Moment”. The Decisive Moment was tended to give the impression that Cartier-Bresson believed that story-telling, the catching on film of the historic moment, was the essence of good photography.

Bresson also stated that the Decisive moment is the decisive moment, “it is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as the precise organization of forms which gives that event its proper expression”. For capturing his images he used a 35mm Film camera made and developed by the company Leica. He used this camera as it was, small lightweight and easy to use. The company Leica was founded in 1913, in Germany by Alfred Schopf who was at the time the CEO of the company. The development of the technology is in my opinion what allowed him to make this decisive moment using his 35mm film camera.

He described his camera when capturing images an extension on his eye. He often said that the creative part of photography is very short, “A painter can elaborate a writer can, but as its given, we have to pick that moment the decisive moment. “ (Bresson).

Whilst he was out shooting and finding the decisive moment he only ever shot his images in black and white and never changed over to colour when the time came around. He also never used a flash to fill areas he always wanted an image to look as pure as what he could see it through the viewfinder of his Leica, He also only ever used one lens which was a fixed focal length 50mm lens.

After the images were taken and it came to the time were the images were to be developed he never found that his images wanted cropping, he always kept them the same as when they were taken. He saw his camera as a tool and a way of drawing or painting an image just like when you use a brush to create a painter.

In 1939 Bresson was unlucky as he was one of many that was in the war as a corporal but he worked for a special unit, which was the film and photo unit. After joining the war he was captured as a prisoner of war for 3 years, however he did eventually mange to escape in 1943 were he then fled to the French capital, Paris were he worked with the French resistance. He worked with the photographic unit in particular and he recorded the Nazi’s occupation and the liberation.

After the war was over and many years later, Bresson was persuaded to join Magnum photos.

Peter Conrad who worked for the Observer in 2004 wrote about Henri Bresson and stated the following about him, “A great, pioneering photographer his pictures which captured not just Paris but the globe, not just everyday life but world- changing events, are emblems of 20^th Century extensive”.

He had his first ever exhibition in Madrid, Spain, in 1933. Later in that year he also had another show in the place were many people wish to have a exhibition this place is of course New York City in America.

My personal response to his images are mixed as some of his images I found quite remarkable and a thrill to look at were as some of them I find aren’t very good. The image below is one that Bresson has captured of a couple sat on a Hill over looking a river as a boat passes by on it. I find this image uninspirational as to me in my opinion it looks like a typical holiday snap. Were as the image furthest to the bottom is an image that I find is a true image and one that people will enjoy to look at just as much as I do. In the image You can see a set of stairs that run down to a low level street were a passing cyclist can be seen passing in the distance.

When looking deep into the image you can see that the cyclist is slightly blurred and a little out of focus. I find that this technic has worked well in the image as it gives a sense of movement. The way the image is a little dark at one side also works well as it leads your eye down the stairs and to the cyclist that is passing by.

The two lines below are links to some resources that I have found of Bresson, and what people have said about him.

http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=ViewBox&ALID=2K7O3R14TE52&IT=ThumbImage01_VForm&CT=Album

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2004/aug/05/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries

Colin Grey

Colin Grey

In my opinion, I find his work very mined blowing and depressing as you go through his work. The purpose of his work is to show and document his father’s and his mother’s life when very ill and coming to the end of there lives. When it comes to media, technique and materials that he has used to create his pieces of work, it is more or less noticeable straight away what he has used to capture his images as all of his images or well most of them are in a square format, this would suggest he has used a medium format camera to capture the images.

Colin Grey has on numerous occasions spoke out about his work, when viewing his work in the ferens art gallery he stated on a plack “I felt comfortable with the camera square format, perhaps working back to my dads box brownie twin, I now felt that work with my parents was becoming a serious project”.

When viewing his work you get very mixed emotions as from my point of view it was very depressing and mind blowing to look at but to others it was different as some people say it a fabulous collection of images, some say that the set of images is a lot like my comment as it comes across as upsetting and depressing to view in an order.

He hasn’t just created the images that are found in the galleries and art exhibitions, his work can be found over a various number of places ranging from magazines. He also has made different types or genres of photography like Constructive, Narrative and Documentary.

When grey produced his work he had many inspirations but the main ones were the people he photographed in his documentary pieces. The main people being his parents.

The image that I have chosen from his documentary collection to analysis is The Grass is Greener 1989. My thought and opinions on the image when studying it vary due to the way the image has been captured and the way it has been put together.

The subject contained with in the image is an old women leant against a wall with plain white wall paper but with a normal flower pattern contained within it. She is also not, in my opinion, the main subject as in the foreground can be found a rather unique yellow piece of pottery. With the piece been so bright and made to stand out in the image it over powers the lady or women in the background of the image.

The mood for the image is rather plain and moody due to the way the pot in the foreground is made to stand out and the women in the background facing the wall is there to show or suggest how things can be over looked and be placed in the past without and thought of what is going on.

My reaction when viewing the image is a sad and depressing as when you look at the image you get a feel for what it most be like to be alone with no one to look after you.

As a conclusion for looking at his work you get a sense that when his parents were around they were not very well and he wanted to show this through his images. As in most of his collection he didn’t take images of them looking happy like happy snaps, he took images of them when they were struggling or feeling ill.

Thomas Hopker

Thomas Hoepker

The images above are the image that Thomas Hoepker captured of 9/11 the main image that cause all of this constroversy was the thid image down. 

In the Image That Thomas Hoepker captured back in 2001, are a group of New Yorkers sat gracefully chatting in the sun in Brooklyn behind them in the background across the brilliant blue water, can be seen a massive and terrible black smoke rising from the lower Manhattan. This particular place is where the two towers were struck by a hijacked airline that very morning.

Ten years on after the event had took place, the image that Hoepker captured is still seen as the most iconic image of 9/11 even though the history behind the event is still seen strange and torturous.

Hoepker took the image just as the strike of the plain hit the building. Even taking this into consideration, he did not however publish the image he captured of the event until the five year anniversary occurred. Were as most press photographers had there image published the same day it happen so it could be broadcasted to the world showing everyone what was going on.

When the image was finally published it caused a massive and instant controversy. Frank Rich a critic wrote in the New York Times about the image and what his point of view was on the image. He stated “The image undeniably troubling picture an allegory of American’s failure”.

Rich’s view an opinion on the image was instantly disputed. Walter Siper, identified himself as the guy in glass or shades in the right of the image.

He stated that they were not sunbathing and having a relaxing time at the waterside, he was in fact in a state of shock and disbelief. He also complained the image he was in was not taking with there consent and permission when Hoepker capture them.

Hoepker rebelled at what had been said and stated that you can’t photograph feeling. Even when the image was published and people spoke about his misdoing for not ask permission to photograph them, it is still seen as the most iconic and defining image of that tragic day.

It has also since that day that photographers, amateurs or professionals, get stopped in the street and asked what they are doing as it is seen upon that a person might take an image that can once again be seen as the defining moment for an event but for some it can be seen as politically upsetting.

Documentry Photographers Historical and Contempary

Historical Photographer - Thomas Hopeker

Thomas Hopeker USA, Muhammad ALI, formerly Cassius CLAY, boxing world heavy weight champion in Chicago, jumping from a bridge over the Chicago River. 1966.

USA. Brooklyn, New York. September 11, 2001. Young people relax during their lunch break along the East River while a huge plume of smoke rises from Lower Manhattan after the attack on the World Trade Center.

New York, NY, view from Manhattan bridge towards Brroklyn Bridge and downtown Manhattan during aftermath of World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001

Contemporary Photographer - Elliot Erwitt