Concept
The concept for this project is to "Study the Masters", in other words learn from the past. I choose the photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson because his personally style on architecture and candid photography was very visually appealing to me. I like how his pictures capture emotion but the composition is also very well planned and add to the picture. I think his pictures capture emotion and would like my picture to give the emotion and look as his.
Research
Learning Candid Photography
https://digital-photography-school.com/11-tips-for-better-candid-photography/
Personally I like this link because it gives a general way of how to take candid shots. But I also plan on researching Henri Cartier-Bresson specifically and see how he shot his pictures and the techniques he used.
This link gives 11 tips on want to do or improve how to take candid shots. Some of the tips I used was bringing my camera everywhere. Doing this really helped me get some good shots and really helped me capture the moments. One of the other tips was positioning yourself, this came in handy because Bresson strategically places himself and waits. Taking a lot of shots and waiting got me the best results.
Henri Cartier-Bresson
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henri-Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson was know for his candid photography. He was a spontaneous photographer but waited. What I mean by that is, he sat and waited for the perfect time for the perfect shot. Yes he took spontaneous photos but they were planned. He found a place with perfect composition and waited for the perfect moment to capture the shot.
"In more than 40 years as a photographer, Cartier-Bresson wandered continually around the world. But there was nothing compulsive about his travels, and he explicitly expressed a desire to move slowly, to “live on proper terms” in each country, to take his time, so that he became totally immersed in the environment."
Process
Inspiration
https://expertphotography.com/henri-cartier-bresson-composition/
The got a lot inspiration off of Henri Cartier-Bresson but what caught my attention was his plays with shadows and with different shapes and patterns. I want to incorporate that into my picture. Down below I show example of pictures.
Shadow and motion play:
Emotion play:
Main Inspiration:
These two pictures are one of my favorites. For the first one I like the motion picture and love how the different lines and how perfectly the person on the bike fits right between the lines. I love the second one because I like how the lighting is so dynamic and makes a simplistic picture interesting. The picture are more involved in landscape, were the composition is very important.
The Set Up
I found a location that I liked and waited for people. I sat there for a few minutes and a few people kept coming and going but I didn't like the photos I got. I tested out different angles and rotation till I got the one I liked.
Editting
Henri Cartier-Bresson editing looks to have high contrast and really shows the details of the environment. I made the picture black and white and test multiple forms of black and white and settled with the one that looked the most authentic.
Result
Reflection
I really like how the picture turned out. Although I didn't get many shots I am happy with the one I got. If I were to critique myself I would say I wish I got the style more similar to Henri Cartier-Bresson. Even though I did all the same techniques as him I believe if I brought my camera or if I chose a different location I would have had better results.