Assignment 5 - Virtual Essay

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 100^th 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 100^th 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