Artist With a Camera

[LucisPictor]

Taken from New York Times, 2/2/1947.

"...Cartier-Bresson knows well most of Europe and a great part of North America. His series documenting New Orleans, the Bowery and Mexico have a revelatory completeness and a marked quality of surprise. How can one still find something new in such familiar scenes? His patient lens lies in wait among sights made almost invisible by their banality. Then, in the endless sequence of events, some new combination occurs -- in the way a man shoots across a puddle on his bicycle or in the lift of a chin or the shift of a shawl. Sometimes this gives a new meaning and CB catches it.

[...]

His pictures presuppose a painter's knowledge of the craft of composition, of texture and light. This is not surprising, for CB was trained as a painter and still paints. He composes his pictures within the frame of his lens and does not crop his image after the picture is developed. That is, his first choice in the arrangement of a given subject is his last. But these plastic considerations are left aside at the instant of shooting to permit the significance and emotion in the subject to take their proper importance.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about these photographs is the attitude they reflect toward the camera as a medium. On the one hand, contemporary photography is often indiscriminate journalism -- pictures flatly seen and shot by routine. On the other, there has been a great overemphasis on purely esthetic ends -- the great exaggeration of surface textures, the blowing up of trick shots, the dependence on technique for the sake of technique.

CB is a responsible artist, responsible to his craft (and his art, for there is no question that his pictures have their value as good art) and to his society. As an artist working in our time he has managed to be in places where history was being made. He has taken pictures which are permanent records of this history, which help us to remember more vividly what has happened, to see more clearly what is happening..."
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There are two kinds of people in the world: those who divide the world into two kinds of people, and those who don’t.
"Schnäppchenjäger" | "KAPCTEH" | "Karusutenu" | "Carsten" | T-shirt?
Cams in use: EOS 40D, EOS 350D, EOS 50e, EOS 500, Spotmatic SPII, EXA I & 1c, Zenit EM; Oly 35RC,Minolta Hi-Matic E & F, Ricoh 500RF, Yashica Electro 35 GS, FED-3b and some others...
Lenses in use: Asahi Pentax: 2.8/28;3.5/35;1.4/50;1.7/50;2.8/105;3.5/135;28-80 | Canon (AF):1.8/50;17-85;75-300 | Former GDR: CZJ Flek 4/20; Pentacon 3.5/30; Pentaflex 1.8/50; CZJ 2.8/50; CZJ 4/135; Pentacon 4/200 | Fujinon: 43-75 | Hanimex: 3.5/23; 4/100;80-200 | Hoya: 25-42;80-205 | Leica: Elmarit-R 2.8/35 | Mamiya: 1.8/55 | Minolta: 1.7/50 | Nikkor: 2.8/24;2/35;2/50;1.2/55;1.8/85;3.5/135 | West German: Ludwig 2.9/50; Meyer 2.8/100; Will 4.5/105; Schneider 3.5/135;Enna 3.5/135; Zeiss 4/135;Isco 4/135; Enna 4.5/240 | Olympus: 3.5/28;1.4/50;3.5/135 | Rikenon: 1.7/50;35-70 | Rollei/Voigtländer: 1.4/55;1.8/50 | Russian: Peleng3.5/8; Zenitar2.8/16; MIR2.8/37; Volna2.8/50; Industar2.8/50; Industar3.5/50; Industar3.5/5cm; Helios2/50; Helios2/58; MIR38 3.5/65; Volna2.8/80; Jupiter2/85; Kaleinar2.8/100;Tair2.8/135; Jupiter3.5/135; Jupiter4/135; Telear3.5/200; Jupiter4/200; Tair4.5/300;RF: Jupiter2.8/35;Industar2.8/53 | Sigma: 28-85;28-105(AF);17-70(AF) | Soligor: 28-105;35-200;70-220 | Tamron: 2.5/24;2.5/135;60-300;70-210 | Tokina: 28-105;80-200;12-24(AF);70-210(AF) | Vivitar: 3.5/17;2/24;2/28;2.5/28;2.8/28 | Yashica: 2/5cm | Other Japanese: Cosina3.8/20; Albinar2.8/28; Porst1.8/35; Beroflex 8/500; Spiratone28-200; Maginon70-210
Green are the lenses I shoot the most.
More? http://forum.mflenses.com/viewtopic.php?t=65

[Richard_D]

Thanks for that - a photographer I much admire. Candids with a short lens and a perfect sense of timing.

[TDN]

His photographs really teach you to "look differently" when you walk the streets. Very inspiring.

Tom
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TDN - tdn9.be
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SLR: Nikon EM , Pentax K2 DMD
DSLR: Pentax *ist DL
Lenses (Nikon): E-series 1.8 50mm & 100mm f2.8; Tokina RMC 80-200mm f4
Lenses (Pentax): Pentax-A 50mm f1.7; Kiron 105mm f2.8 macro; Pentax-M 135mm f3.5;Pentax-A 35-135mm f3.5-4.5; Rikenon 28mm f2.8; Vivitar 400mm f5.6; Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 EX Aspherical; DA 18-55mm f3.-5.6; Tamron 28-200mm f3.8-5.6 XR;
Lenses (M42): Jupiter-9 85mm f2; Pentacon 200mm f4; Cosinon 35mm f2.8; Pentacon 50mm f1.8
Lenses (Adaptall): Tamron SP 60-300mm f3.8-5.6; Tamron SP 80-200mm f2.8 LD