Henri Cartier-Bresson was the father to
photojournalism. He was a French photographer who mastered candid photography
with a 35 mm film. A founder of street photography and life reportage, Henri
believed in a moment where life offered itself to the photographer. This was
coined the “Decisive Moment”, a fraction of a second where
the precise organization of forms gave an event its proper expression. The “Decisive Moment” inspired generations of
photographers.
Alfred
Eisenstaedt photographed “VJ Day in Times Square”. The photograph showed the
intimacy of a US sailor and his girlfriend, which marked his return from the
Japanese war. A simple kiss captured the expressions and emotions to the
thousands of Americans who came back. “VJ Day in Times Square” demonstrated
Henri’s obtrusive approach to photography. The kiss was an innate expression
for love and happiness. Alfred Eisenstaedt had successfully captured the bitter
joyfulness of war.
Stanley
Forman photographed “Fire Escape Collapse”. The photograph showed a mother and
daughter, who fell from a fire escape collapse. Although the two fell to their
deaths, the photographer managed to capture a perfect still of the moment. The
photographer made use of gestures, expression, and composition. With this
image, Stanley Forman possessed Henri’s ability to grab hold of a natural and
candid state. Stanley Forman’s “Decisive
Moment” won the man a Pulitzer Prize.
Elliot
Erwitt photographed “Effiel Tower 100th Anniversary”. The photograph
possessed many similarities to Henri’s image of a man who hopped over a puddle.
There was movement and an interaction of life. The man that leaped signaled the
emotions of the two lovers in the back. A composition of black and white added
realness to a symbolic moment. Elliot Erwitt captured an ironic situation
within an everyday setting.
Mark
Riboud photographed
“An Anti-Vietnam War Demonstration In 1967”. The photograph showed a
confrontation between an American girl and the American National Guards. The
image followed Henri’s style of composition. The two sides were focal points to
a natural portrait. It raised questions to the girl’s intentions. Was the girl
there to prevent conflict? Or was the girl simply there to emphasize with the
guards? The true intention laid a mystery. Mark Riboud’s photograph and the
march itself helped turn public opinion against the war in Vietnam.
Frank
Van Riper photographed the following image. An Eastern Shore blacksmith created
a shower of sparks that was captured using a low shutter speed and flash. The
photograph resembled Henri’s perception of the here and now. It was a perfect
still of the moment. A blow from the hammer created timeless fireworks. The low
shutter speed caught the spontaneous lighting and composition of a common
gesture. Frank Van Riper demonstrated a calculative approach to the “Decisive Moment”.
“Of all the means of expression, photography is the only one that fixes forever the precise and transitory instant. We photographers deal in things that are continually vanishing, and when they have vanished, there is no contrivance on earth that can make them come back again. We cannot develop a print from memory” – Henri Cartier Bresson.
The following photographers understood
Henri’s belief, that photography had the ability to freeze time. Eisenstaedt,
Forman, Riboud, and Van Riper utilized the principals and shooting techniques
key to Henri’s style. Expressions and surroundings controlled the image. The
photographers came to play roles of an unobtrusive existence, capturing truly
candid shots. Henri combined ordinary techniques with the unique philosophy of
subject interaction. Henri created an art movement and coined it the “Decisive Moment”.
References:
VJ
Day in Times Square. By Alfred Eisenstaedt.
Retrieved April 1, 2015, from Photographers Gallery: https://www.photographersgallery.com/photo.asp?id=3669
Fire
Escape Collapse. By Stanley Forman. Retrieved April
1,2015, from Stanley Forman Photo: http://stanleyformanphotos.com/pulitzer.html
Effiel
Tower 100th Anniversary. By Elliot
Erwitt. Retrieved April 1, 2015, from Magnum Photos: https://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&ALID=2K7O3RTCOA5M
An Anti-Vietnam War Demonstration In 1967. By Mark Riboud. Retrieved April
1, 2015, from Magnum Photos: https://www.magnumphotos.com/image/PAR37859.html
By Mark Van Riper. Retrieved April 1, 2015,
from The Washington Post: http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/essays/vanRiper/images/fvr-01-16-04a.jpg
