Henri Cartier-Bresson's Early Photography Style

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.