The Golden Ratio

Henri Cartier-Bresson, The Var Department, 1932

The Golden Ratio

Henri Cartier-Bresson revolutionized photography with his decisive moment technique, but another way he revolutionized photography was with his realization of the golden ration. The definition of the golden ration is, “is a special number found by dividing a line into two parts so that the longer part divided by the smaller part is also equal to the whole length divided by the longer part. It is often symbolized using phi, after the 21st letter of the Greek alphabet”. In simpler terms, the golden ratio is said to be a frequent occurrence that the human eye is naturally drawn to. It appears in nature through the spirals of ribs of leaves, spiraling branches, and swirling patterns in rock formations. The rule of thirds is often referred to as the simplified version of the golden ration in various photography classes.

Cartier-Bresson used the golden ratio in many of his photographs, and that makes the viewer want to look around the whole image. It draws their eye across the entire image, not just to one particular place. It starts in the outer edges and slowly draws the eyes closer and closer to the center, but not the exact middle, it is slightly off center to provide balance to the image. His photographs are pleasing to look at because he so effortlessly incorporates the use of the golden ration, which the human eye finds naturally pleasing and can’t help but follow it around the photographs.

"Icon Photography School." Icon Photography School. Accessed May 02, 2016. https://photographyicon.com/goldenratio/.