Comments on: Leica photographers: Henri Cartier-Bresson

By: Hudson

Hudson — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:06:45 +0000

“Iâ€™m not surprised that HCB lived to 101″
I’d just like to correct the last posting. Cartier – Bresson lived to be 95. Born on the 22nd of August 1908 and died just short of his 96th year on the 3rd of August 2004.

By chance I photographed him sitting peacefully reading Le Monde in the Jardins des Tuileries 1999, a few hundred metres from his apartment on the rue du Rivoli. For those of you interested, the picture can be seen on my site at > portraits > unposed the 13th picture in the series.

By: zoetmb

zoetmb — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:27:48 +0000

This is what photography is about: seeing. It’s not about what equipment is new or sensors or lens curves or photosite density.

I’m not surprised that HCB lived to 101. While there are some artists who are always at war with themselves, there are others who have found peace and happiness in their art and you can see that joy in Bresson just by looking at him.

By: Troy Freund

Troy Freund — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:02:50 +0000

Here in Milwaukee, I hosted a HCB 101 photo-event. Check it out at my blog: http://www.midwesteditorialphoto.wordpress.com Enjoy!

By: regular

regular — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 07:35:02 +0000

HCB rules. So does street photography, because it is so full of ephemeral beauty.

By: Eric

Eric — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 06:12:36 +0000

Cartier-Bresson would not accept the title of the father of photojournalism. First of all, he rejected the title, calling himself a surrealist.

But as far as candid photography goes, he was a pioneer, but he himself said about Andre Kertesz, “He taught us how to see.” Kertersz was shooting candid photos during World War I with a box camera. And the Leica simply made that kind of photography easier to accomplish.

So, let’s give credit where credit is due. Nothing taken away from Cartier-Bresson. He was an amazing, unique, photographer. But also let’s not mistake sentiment for fact.