Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Early Photography Style
Henri Cartier-Bresson said that he
adored shooting photographs, and that he almost enjoyed the shooting of images
more than he did the process of developing them and showing them to people. He
compared his relationship to photography to that of a hunter, but a vegetarian
hunter. He enjoys the shooting, but not the part that comes after that.
Later when he purchased his first
35mm Leica camera, he fell in love with the simple way the camera worked and
the results that it gave him. This would eventually define his style of work;
he didn’t care for developmental manipulation before, during, or after the
development process. He didn’t like messing with the lighting, any dark room effects,
or even cropping. He was essentially a photography purist. If you can’t make
the shot right the first time, do not take it.
When he was out shooting, his
equipment load was lighter than one might expect. He only took with him his camera,
and one or two additional lenses depending on the subject he would be shooting,
but that was it. He was fairly simple in his approach to photography, he didn’t
want to deal with all the extra equipment of changing things when he was
shooting his pictures, and he especially didn’t want to deal with any of the
fuss when it came to developmental manipulation.
He continued working, and showed
his art in various exhibitions in places such as Mexico, New York, and even
over in Europe. He early photography work showed potential of being a great
street photographer or of a blooming photojournalist.
Biography.com
Editors. "Henri Cartier-Bresson." Bio.com. Accessed April 29, 2016.
http://www.biography.com/people/henri-cartier-bresson-9240139.