30
Apr
2020

Week 5 – Analogue Photography (practice analysis)

categories: Networked Media

Henri Cartier-Bresson | Highbrow

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Who is the practitioner? When were they practicing?

Practitioner Henri Cartier Bresson, is a world renown french photographer. He was considered a master of both candid and street photography. He was also one of the early users of 35mm film. Bresson predominantly practiced photography in the 1930s and 1940s. famously, Bresson viewed photography as a capturing a decisive moment.

What is the title of the photo or video you have chosen to analyse

A documentary titled ‘The decisive moment’, narrated by Henri Cartier Bresson.

With the photo or video, you are examining when was it produced (date)?

The documentary formerly titled “the decisive moments photographs and words” was originally recorded in 1973, it is narrated by Henri Cartier Bresson. However this particular documentary was published in New York, by the International Center of Photography in the year 2007.

How was the photo or video authored?

This audiovisual presentation provides a unique insight into the photographer Henri Cartier Bresson. During the documentary Bresson is recorded speaking fluently in English, offering a concise yet also a wide range of observations on the essence of the photography. His examinations are paired with some of his famous photographs. In this video Bresson conveys the photography’s many possibilities and constant challenges. Looking particularly at how the documentary was authored, it is important to note that even through this is a video it consists of photographs overlaid by audio. therefore, it is necessary to note or understand the equipment used by Bresson to take the photographs used within the video. firstly, there was definitely a recording device that created the audio for the documentary this enabled Bresson to speak over his photographs and give insight into the photography medium whilst using his work as an example.Secondly Bresson was known to use analog film cameras in order to capture his pictures. This means that Bresson would have known how to use and operate both the camera device efficiently as well as understand and practice the stages of film development.

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in focus, Bresson structured his photos in a way that affects the way the documentary has been authored. “Bresson would often say that his greatest joy was geometry”. In terms of his photographic mise-en-scene, Bresson always took into account the “geometry”  of his photos. This meant that he was “preoccupied with” the “structure” in which each photo was taken. He constantly took photos that were thought out in term of everything within the frame being “in the right place”.

Example photo in the documentary:Cartier-Bresson: A master's black-and-white world - CSMonitor.com

This is a perfect example of how Bresson utilised geometry in order to capture the moment. There is different shapes and lines here that compliment each other aesthetically.

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How was the photo or video published?

The documentary was released in 1973, and was published in the form of a short film. This was produced by three different companies;

The video was published in a way that attracted fans and students to Bresson’s work. As the video features a selection of Bresson’s famous photographs, alongside rare commentary by the photographer himself. The film did not take away from his photographs but in fact gives people insight into Bresson’s mindset.

How was the photo or video distributed?

The video was distributed to those who would take educational value from the contents of the film. It was distributed by being placed in an exhibition at the ICP Museum in New York, where multiple intellectual and culture seeking individuals had access to not only the film but a wide range of publications from Henri Cartier Bresson. Further as a university student studying Networked Media, it is also important to note that I too have had access to this short documentary as a result of my studies. therefore through distribution the film also reached those in fields of study related to photography.

Bibliography:

International Center of Photography. 2020. Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Decisive Moment. [online] Available at: <https://www.icp.org/exhibitions/henri-cartier-bresson-the-decisive-moment&gt; [Accessed 30 April 2020].

International Center of Photography. 2020. Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Decisive Moment. [online] Available at: <https://www.icp.org/exhibitions/henri-cartier-bresson-the-decisive-moment&gt; [Accessed 30 April 2020].

IMDb. 2020. The Decisive Moment (1973) – Imdb. [online] Available at: <https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2071616/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt&gt; [Accessed 30 April 2020].

The Decisive Moment. 1973. [film] Directed by C. Capa. USA: Foundation Henri Cartier-Bresson, International Center of Photography, Scholastic Magazines.

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