Research Point
Write a personal response to the film in the contextual section of your learning log, taking care to reference properly any quotations you use.
The work of Henri Cartier Bresson is legendary. Even those that do not know of his name quite likely know of his iconic work. The black and white unmistakably French photographs; the puddle (Behind the Gare St Lazare, 1932), the bicycle and stairway (Hyeres, France 1932), the family on the river bank enjoying their picnic (Juvisy, France 1938) to name but a few. They are all incredible. They are all perfectly captured observations of a simplified life.
To watch this documentary and to hear the man behind the photographs speak in his native poetic tongue is like listening to classical music with the rise and fall of his voice. He speaks so eloquently, so considered and with such cadence about his life’s work. I found him so unpretentious, a word I think a lot about and aspire to be and show in my own photography. I was quite surprised to find him so self deprecating.
Everything he has done has been borne through a love of life and his observing it and whilst he unquestionably has fundamental natural visual talent; mastering ‘…geometry, (the) way it’s framed with divine proportions and a physical rhythm…‘ he also speaks so simply and relatively when he says ‘…what matters is to look…‘.We can all do that, some more naturally like Cartier Bresson than others, but we can all try to or learn to look as he believes. ‘…Just be receptive and it happen’s…’.
Yet he successfully counters why that isn’t always achieved or possible with ‘…they don’t look – they identify…’.
If ever an aspiring photographer needed encouragement that great photography was capable within their hands, if they just persevere ‘…always photographing, always reacting, always watching…’ then it is to watch this documentary and to know that it is possible.
Cartier Bresson seems less interested in the resulting image then he does the actual taking of it. He explains how he would shoot, almost addicted like; ‘…bam, bam‘ and had rolls of film sent off to be developed without even seeing them himself.
I can’t decide why he would take this approach (he doesn’t explain why in the documentary). I’m left wondering if it’s because his love of photography was coming to a close (he goes on to say he prefers to draw and paint and seldom has a camera to hand when out) or if the act of photographing and capturing the image was more important in his mind then it was to have a physical copy, again reinforcing his natural ability and natural inclination to be a photographer.
Either way, his natural, all pervading talent and love of photography shines through that he did what he was born to do.
Bibliography
- L’amour de Court “Just Plain Love”, You Tube [Online] Available in 5 parts via RANGEFINDERGENERAL (2008), (Accessed 18 September 2018).
- Part One duration: 5:23
- Part Two duration: 9:42
- Part Three duration: 7:56
- Part Four duration: 6.30
- Part Five duration: 8.47
- The Museum of Modern Art, MOMA 2018, Art & Artists, Cartier Bresson, H. [Online] https://www.moma.org/artists/1000?=undefined&page=1&direction= (Accessed 18 September 2018).
- Cartier Bresson, H. Foundation HCB, 2018 [Online] http://www.henricartierbresson.org/en/ (Accessed 18 September 2018).
CSmith 517189 Expressing Your Vision 
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