Henri Cartier-Bresson in his own words -
I just watched an excellent 11-minute video composed solely of the voice of Henri Cartier-Bresson and a selection of his marvelous photos.
https://youtu.be/pWe_BGxSaBQ?si=eFW0dT0JybsZpLcj
I watch a lot of YouTube photography videos, and wouldn't think of posting reviews of all of them, but ol' Henri said some cool things that I'd like to share. None of these are especially deep; they're just things I could relate to. Maybe you could too.
"I never think, I act quick. You have to forget yourself. You have to be yourself and forget yourself."
"It's seldom you get a great picture. You have to milk the cow quite a lot to get a little cheese."
"I enjoy shooting a picture, being present, and it's a way of saying Yes, Yes, Yes!"
Thanks Tom - very nice. My favorite quote of his: "Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." Did you see his interview with Charlie Rose? Fascinating as well.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about that interview, but I've found it now (https://charlierose.com/videos/19739#) and I'm looking forward to watching it. Thanks for the lead.
DeleteAs for the quote about our first 10,000 photos -- was that in the Charlie Rose video? I'm not sure I agree, but maybe I need to hear the context for the quote. Maybe it depends on what kinds of shots we're talking about. I feel like I'm just getting started on color outdoor photography, but I've got some B&W "street" photos from the 1960s and 70s that are as good as I can do now.
DeleteThe quote wasn't, I don't think, in the interview. It's audio is very poor quality and he mumbles. He has so many quotes it's hard to keep up with them - many are quite contradictory to how he presents himself. I took it to mean, as I tell the members of my SeniorPlanet photo group, that if you don't practice and learn from that practice you will fail to improve. In that interview, I think you will come away with a very different impression of HCB. I'll be interested to hear what you think.☺️
DeleteI agree with that phrase - "I never think, I act"... I think it is kind of essential for street or any action photography. At a blink of an eye, the action will be gone and you can't get back that spontaneity.
ReplyDelete