Henri Cartier Bresson Research Notes

Henri Cartier Bresson was a humanist photographer who captured his photographs in the 'decisive moment'. He pioneered in the genre of street photography and captured photographs to show the unnatural behaviour of those who were aware of being photographed. He explained "I suddenly understood that a photograph could fix eternity in an instant" when he started to take photography seriously.

The Decisive Moment

The decisive moment is the fraction of time that is captured by a camera that would show any action or gesture. The decisive moment is also a published book my Cartier Bressson which included a portfolio of 126 of his best photographs. 

Photo Analysis

Hyéres, France 1932

This is a black and white photograph taken of a street in the French town Hyéres in 1932. This was taken so that the black railing is composed horizontally and twisting into the centre area of the image. The photograph was taken on an elevated position being on top of the staircase