Henri Cartier-Bresson was a renowned French photojournalist born in 1908 who is considered the father of modern photojournalism. He is renowned for his countless memorable images capturing 20th century individuals and events. His works were remarkable for their flawless composition, and he believed the subject could not be separated from the composition, framing subjects to tell stories. He never cropped his pictures and believed the "decisive moment" was when the whole picture came together to tell its story by capturing fleeting moments in time. His 1952 photo book "Images à la Sauvette" compiled 126 plates from around the world demonstrating his approach of capturing the decisive moment.

1. spontaneous candids, photojournalism, the
photo essay and the zine
street photographystreet photography
Henri Cartier-Bresson

2. Henri Cartier-BressonHenri Cartier-Bresson
– B.1908 D. 2004
– French photojournalist
– renowned for his countless
memorable images of 20th-century
individuals and events
– his works are remarkable for their
flawless composition
– photography was a booming
profession in the1930s - many
photographers worked for the
magazines and the press
– considered the father of modern
photojournalism

3. Henri Cartier-BressonHenri Cartier-Bresson
– never crops his pictures
– He believes that the subject cannot
be separated from the composition.
– For him, the picture emerges from
the process of finding the right way
to frame the subject. Everything
within the frame helps him tell his
story. At the moment he snaps the
shutter, the whole picture comes
together; he calls this “the decisive
moment.”

4. Henri Cartier-BressonHenri Cartier-Bresson

5. Henri Cartier-BressonHenri Cartier-Bresson

6. Henri Cartier-BressonHenri Cartier-Bresson

7. Henri Cartier-BressonHenri Cartier-Bresson

8. the Decisive Momentthe Decisive Moment
– the Decisive Moment was one of Henri Cartier
Bresson’s Photo books, first published in France
in 1952
– originally Images à la Sauvette, which roughly
translates to “images on the run”
– the photo book consisted of 126 plates of
Bresson’s photographs from around the world
from the East to the West, around Asia, his
native France, and to the US
– Decisive Moment really does capture, unveils
and sums up Bresson’s revolutionary approach
to photographs

9. the Decisive Momentthe Decisive Moment
– in the preface of the book Bresson tells us that: "To me,
photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction
of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a
precise organization of forms that give that event its
proper expression.” And throughout the book we see
these fleeting images, moments in time captured in the
blink of an eye, or the camera’s shutter…
ANSWER/DISCUSSION:
1. What is the relationship between a photograph and the subject it
represents? Does a photograph simply copy the world? Is it always
accurate, or truthful? Can photographs lie? Can photographs reveal
the feelings of the photographer?
2. Is this type of photography a work of art? What makes a photograph
a work of art? If it hangs in a museum, does that make it art? Can a
photograph express the feelings of the photographer? How can
photographers express emotion by depicting the world that already
exists? How does a photographer change and manipulate what he or
she sees?

10. • creating a story using pictures - the
Photo Essay is one of the most
important developments of 20th
Century photography
• the Photo Essay can be described as:
a group of photographs, usually with
supplementary text, that conveys a
unified story and is published as a
book or as a feature in a magazine or
newspaper. To create a photo essay
we use candid photography,
documentary photography and
photojournalism.
the photo essaythe photo essay

11. 1. using candid, street and spontaneous photography
create a story
2. tell a story of a stranger or yourself
3. create a photo essay feature using ten (10) images
and text (approximately two sentences to a
paragraph per image)
4. design a cover
5. think about style and tone – are you looking for
an underground feel? A commercial art feel? A fine
art feel? Is it more of a gallery piece or a coffee
house piece?
6. << create a photo-essay
7. FORMATS:
• MyPublisher
• WalMart printed book
• Photo album made at school
your story…your story…