Henri Cartier-Bresson - The Decisive Moment
One of many projects made by Bresson, 'the decisive moment' is by far the most famous, and to this day is arguably the most well known photobook/project ever made in Photography. On each of his journeys, he stayed in said country for long periods of times, taking his photos to a higher and more in touch level to the way people live in these countries, combining his skill in composition and chance, creating authentic street photos. The decisive moment refers to capturing an event that is ephemeral and spontaneous, where the image represents the essence of life itself.
The reason his photographs often feel numbly impersonal now is not just that they are familiar. It’s that they’re so coolly composed, so infernally correct that there’s nothing raw about them, and you find yourself thinking: would it not be more interesting if his moments were a little less decisive? - Gaby Wood |
- The composition of this photo is interesting to me as in the centre of the image is a drawing of a face, but we are drawn to the man in the bottom right of the image, using the golden ratio to draw our attention to him.
- This image is very dark, with more shadow than light, enhancing the highlights and drawing our attention to simpler aspects to the photo which would be less striking without the contrast - The image makes me feel confused at first, trying to tie all the elements together to see what this scene looked life in real life, what the man was doing, and where he is. it makes me feel |