Henri Cartier-Bresson Street Photography

Henri Cartier-Bresson, Madrid, 1933

Henri Cartier-Bresson Street Photography

            Henri Cartier-Bresson is known for his candid street photography and his ability to capture images that do not appear staged at all. He traveled all over the world, photographing people on the streets. These images are often compelling because of the emotions you can see on their faces or in their eyes. The thing that fascinates many is the universal topics that they see in his candid street photography. They are often topics that can be seen anywhere. Whether it was photographed in Paris or China, there are some things that you can imagine happening in your own neighborhood.  You can see people laughing and talking while walking down the street anywhere, while the backgrounds may be different depending on location, that sight is universal.

            This image is especially compelling because of the look in the man’s eyes. You can tell that he is on edge, his shoulders are tense and his eyes are on alert. While he isn’t clinging tightly to the child in his arms, you can still see that he wants to protect the child and keep him safe from whatever has him tensing up. The other thing that is intriguing about this photograph is how you want to expand the frame to see what the man is looking at. You can tell he’s looking just a little out of the image, and his brow is set in a firm line as his mouth. He is extremely aware of whatever it is that we cannot see. Cartier-Bresson’s ability to make the viewer want to see more than what the image is providing is another strength in his photography style.

"Magnum Photos." Magnum Photos. Accessed May 02, 2016. http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=CMS3.