Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Carter Bresson (1908-2004) was a French humanist photographer. He worked from the 1930’s all the way up until his death in 2004. He pioneered the genre of street photography, and viewed it as capturing a decisive moment (Shooter Files, 2015). In his early life, Bresson developed a strong fascination with painting, and particularly that of surrealism. In 1932, after spending a year on the South Coast of West Africa, he discovered the Leica – his preferred camera of choice; and thus began his lifelong passion for photography.
What is the title of the photo you have chosen to analyse?
Bresson. H, 1932, Place de l’Europe Gare Saint Lazare, Gelatin Silver Print
The spontaneity of the photo, which was captured outside the busy Paris train station of Saint Lazare captured the new, fast paced environment in Europe with its trains, cars and factories. Modern motion is celebrated in this image, by that of the leaping man whom will never hit the puddle; this image is permanently frozen in time. The improvements in such technology cameras, this being the Leica, allowed for such images to be made and this progress is celebrated in Bresson’s photographs.
How was the photo authored?
The image was produced in 1932 and shot on Bresson’s personal Leica Rangefinder. The camera had one lens, a 50mm and Bresson used this for almost all of his life’s work.
The introduction of the integrated rangefinder revolutionised Leica camera and photography. The camera itself was an innovative camera for its time. For instance, it offered the orientation of the image frame sideways for the 35mm or 50mm film as opposed to the cine-camera tradition of across the film strip.
The camera was also compact with collapsable lenses; which could be the reason Bresson adored it so much, considering his vast landscape of imagery.
In regards to exposure, the Leica III offered slow-speed shutter controls and a fast 1/1000s shutter speed, thus becoming one of the best selling non standardised cameras on the market.
Güler. A, 1964, ‘Henri Cartier-Bresson with Leica M3’ , Gelatin Silver Print
How was the photo published?
The image ‘Place de l’Europe Gare Saint Lazare’ (1932) was published on gelatin silver print photographic paper. The gelatin silver process is the photographic process commonly used with black and white films and printing papers.
Silver gelatin black and white photographic paper was by far the most commonly used printing material during Bresson’s time (20th Century). Available in many varieties and different grades and was produced by a number of small and large manufactures in many countries, silver gelatin paper was the medium for millions of art and technical pieces.
The process involves a brief exposure to a negative to produce a latent image; which is then made visible by a developing agent. The image is then made permanent by treatment in a photographic fixer, which removes the remaining light sensitive by silver halide elements. Finally, a water bath clears the fixer from the print. This process was time consuming; instant films such as those made my Polaroid had not yet established.
How was the photo distributed?
Bresson’s work saw countless art exhibitions, which were presented in museums, art halls or private art galleries. His exhibits met the audience, and sought to provide the people with his ideas, purpose and context of the space. I have found an accurate timeline of his exhibits on HenriCartierBresson.com.
It was in 1947 that Bresson and four likeminded photographers decided to establish the Magnum photography agency to distribute their works.
Magnum Photos was founded in Paris in 1947. The agency was founded by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, David Seymour, George Rodger and William Vandivert (all photographers). Magnum is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices in New York City, Paris, London and Tokyo.
Magnum is one of the first photographic cooperatives, owned and administered entirely by members. The staff serve a support role for the photographers, who retain all copyrights and intellectual properties to their own work. They created Magnum to reflect their independent natures as people and as photographers. Bresson defined Magnum as a community of thought, quality and curiosity about what is going on in the world, and a desire to transcribe it visually (Bresson, nd).
References:
ABC News, 2011, ‘Place de l’Europe Gare Saint Lazare’, image, viewed 10th February 2020 <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-26/france.-paris.-place-de-l27europe.-gare-saint-lazare-19322c-b/2857312>
Magnum Photos, nd, ‘Overview’, webpage, viewed 10th February 2020,<https://www.magnumphotos.com/about-magnum/overview/>
Shooter Files, 2015, ‘Master Profiles: Henri Cartier-Bresson’, webpage, viewed 10th February 2020 <http://shooterfiles.com/2015/04/master-shooters-henri-cartier-bresson/>
Wikipedia, 2019, ‘Photographic Processing’, webpage, viewed 9th February 2020 <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_processing#Common_processes>