Matthew Davis, Dissertation, Ba Applied Media
Matthew Davis Dissertation BA Applied Media
Henri Cartier-Bressons “Behind Saint-Lazare Station” - Paris 1932 is the greatest example of The Decisive Moment. It remains arguably the greatest photograph of all time! Why?
Henri Carter-Bresson is undoubtably one of the greatest photographers of all time. A master of photography, a pioneer. His dream can be illustrated by an English philosopher Francis Bacon(1561-1626), and Bresson quotes it as what he tries to achieve. " The contemplation of things as they are, without error or confusion without substitution or imposture is, in its self, a nobler thing than a whole harvest of invention."
Bresson believed one should not over saturate any situation, he put his heart, emotion and soul into his works.
I have been researching several articles websites and documentaries about photography and in particular Cartier Bresson’s ideal of the decisive moment within a photograph. I want to see, why today in the 21st-century with millions of photographers, and millions of different imaging devices, why Cartier-Bressons uber-famous photograph “Behind SaintLazare Station” - Paris 1932 displays the decisive moment better than any other photograph. In my mind its is the greatest photograph of all time. Bresson had a unique recipe in which he followed in order to GATHER his photographs, but are these instructions that anyone could follow? Or is it Bresson’s self, Bresson’s emotion and relationship with the subjects that gave him the ability to capture what no one else has, or to my mind is capable of?
I have been looking at Bressons decisive moment as a place in which to start my research. Bressons decisive moment was what he lived for, his colleagues said he almost quivered with excitement before pressing the shutter. Is this passion still alive today?
I have looked in depth at the documentary The Genius Of Photography, 2009. [DVD] Tim Kirby, UK/London:. This is incredibly helpful and useful in search for the answer to my question. The documentary looks at famous photographers and photographs since the its invention of the medium. It illustrates photographic evolution as both a recorder and a reporter. It exposes the validity of images as fact, and the journey the photograph made to be considered art. It gives a comprehensive look into an industry that is booming. This year alone will see an additional 8billion photographs added to the ether.
In researching Photographer Gregory Crewdson I decided to keep my question within the photo-documentary genre. This will illuminate any staged photographs. Crewdson is a multi national illustrious photographer, who employees a head of photographer, and another gentlemen to press the shutter. I simply cannot class, a team of 50 people preparing to shoot a photograph in the same way one individual wonders the streets and shoots what he sees. This in the same respect goes for photographers such as Jeff Wall, a Canadian photographer who stages his photographs, and said in the documentary The Genius Of Photography, 2009. [DVD] Tim Kirby, UK/London: wall to wall media. “you just have to photograph over, and over again until something happens” This in comparison to Bresson who said “you wait, and wait” Cartier-Bresson, H. (1952). The decisive moment (Images à la sauvette). New York: Simon & Schuster. Therefore this genre of photography