10 shooting lessons from the genius of Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson - one of the most prominent photographers, without which it is difficult to imagine a world of photographic art of the XX century. Even during his lifetime he was recognized as a brilliant photographer, whose work is of interest to this day.

We present our 10 key lessons from the master of the photos that are relevant even today.

"Focus on the geometry, think over the center of the frame and the limits» .



One of the features photographs by Henri Cartier-Bresson - amazingly precise structure of the frame. He managed to combine very different and even opposite to each other geometric shapes, lines and shadows into a single harmonious whole. "The composition must be the subject of our constant care, but during shooting we just feel it intuitively," - never tired of repeating Henry.

"Be patient, work gently» .



"The photographer has to work smoothly, quietly, but at the same time have a keen eye. Do not push, to attract attention, do not balamutte water where the fish are going, "- said Cartier-Bresson. Contemporaries noted that he has always been very consistent and calm. "Sometimes it happens that a person makes a passing shot over. You can wait for some point, but did not wait without this man in the picture ».

"Take pictures of children» .



Recognized as a genius photos loved taking pictures of children who always looked at his pictures naturally and easily. Henry often walk around the city and shooting children's portraits. Looking at these pictures, each person if transferred to their own childhood.

"Be inconspicuous, do not be pushy».

Every time during the shooting he tried to remain inconspicuous, to merge with the crowd and did not advertise himself as a photographer. Often he even sealed his brilliant elements of the camera black tape and covered it with a handkerchief. He himself was dressed modestly, photographed quickly, actively moving from point to point, than did not have time to attract the attention of onlookers.

"Think of the world as an artist» .

Cartier-Bresson knew how to draw perfectly. It is no accident in the last years of his life he returned to this occupation. Therefore, in his dialogues about the photos he often compares the frame with the picture, drawing parallels with artistic creativity. "The viewer is considering photography as a complete picture, a picture with the songs that should attract attention," - he said.

"Do not frame the picture».

Master photo was convinced that if the composition of the frame offset, the frame itself must be regarded as defective and unusable. The photographer did not recognize the crop has finished photos, confident that the composition can be built only once - when shooting: "The process of photographing - is the process of determining an instantaneous event and organization forms, which express this event».

"Do not try to make the largest possible number of frames» .

"I do not need too much to photograph, do not shoot, harassing film. It is a bad sign. It's like a lot to eat or drink: a person loses flavor, loses its shape. Nevertheless, we should not forget that in order to get the milk, it is necessary to milk a cow, and to get the oil, you need a lot of milk, "- said Henry. Perhaps these are the features of creativity helped him reach the heights in this picture.

"The photograph should carry a value before processing» .



"Once the frame was in the film, I'm not interested in what will happen next. After all, hunters do not cook. " Of course, with the advent of digital photography has changed a lot. But the approach of Henri Cartier-Bresson to photographic perception, which, according to the master, begins and ends with the shutter release of the camera, is still relevant today.

"Travel, explore the world» .



French Photographer was a passionate lover of travel. He has visited many countries of the world, pictures of different communities and their residents. During his travels, he became acquainted with the people, talked a lot, studied local traditions, trying to penetrate this atmosphere. He was not sorry for this time, for example, to make a series of photographs of India, he spent a whole year in the country.

"Use one lens to shoot» .

In cooperation with the agency Magnum Photos, Henri Cartier-Bresson was doing shots with a variety of lenses. But for personal creativity he preferred to work with the same lens - 50 mm fixed - and remained faithful to his choice for decades.

See more:

25 of the best images of the great photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson

Also interesting:

Richard Avedon: Photographer legend

According to the materials rosphoto

via www.rosphoto.com/