Unit 55

Task 1 Photography

Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson is a French photographer born in, Chanteloup-en-Brie in France on
1908 and died on August 3rd, 2004 in Céreste, France. He has been referred to as ‘’The
Godfather of Photography” as he was the first person to capture people out of pose and in a
decisive moment, this came a new era of photography as the photos he captured on his
35mm rangefinder camera, this was not allowing a person to pose for the photo rather he
captured the genuine moment that might not have existed if the photo was not taken, this
was a bold move as it could capture emotions people thrive to hide but also the expression
other show off, some of his other photographs would include people unaware the photo
was taken and may never know it exists. Cameras back then needed to be developed by a
chemist or photography shop as file formatting was not yet developed.

In this photo you can see a kid showing his expression from
collecting what appears to be red wine, with a smile of a
champion on his face, the kid would know he is being
photographed but he may not have known it was this exact
moment as he is not paying attention to the camera and
instead looks like he is just enjoying life while delivering wine to
his parents. In this, you can see the kid’s friends in the
background enjoying a chocolate bar. This may prompt the
question, why is he happy? He is not drinking it just getting it,
giving most adults a bit of confusion.

This photo really does tell the age as there are no branded
clothes, old cars, dirty hands, stained and boarded up windows.

With this, it is very difficult to shoot photos of kids nowadays as

photographers sometimes will be branded paedophiles and
kidnappers even know kids show their true essence playful,
curious, and often mischievous sometimes lost in adults’
overtime.
 In this photo, you can see a single man going for a
stroll in the streets unaware he was being watched
and photographed as Henri hid in the top corner of the
turn. The cyclist was wearing all black which made the
contrast of him stand out a lot more making your eyes
immediately look at him. The cyclist was unaware his
photo was even taking and may even still never know
it was captured. Henri took this photo at the most
precise time as the cyclist was going at speed as you
can see with the blur and it was captured just inches
after the bar which would have blocked his shot.
What’s strange about this is as a photographer you
would expect the focus to be on the man however its
on the railing bars which could of lead people to
believe Henri was taking a photo of the stairs with fast
shutter speed and the man just came around at an
exact time.

In this photo, you can see a man just about to break the stillness of the
water but for what? Many have asked this as there is no right or wrong
answer as the man clearly had a cleaner path just going backwards but
he chose to take a leap and Henri was able to capture this millisecond
perfect photo with a steady hand as burst photography was not yet
around.

The black and white look adds to the clear sky and draws your eye to
the man and makes you wonder “Why?”. The sign in the back gives
away the workplace and location this was captured “Railowsky”.

In the background, you can see in a poster a ballerina doing a leap and
wonders if this man is imitating it. In this, no one can really say why he
did it and this is why it became a masterpiece; Henri captured a
remarkable photograph that would not exist without him.

All Henri photographs were captured in black and white using a 35mm rangefinder camera
but sometimes Henri would use 50mm lens, as cameras and lens developed over the years
Henri chose not to develop with it and stay true to his unique artform as he understood his
camera and it understood him, as Henri captured the past and brought it to the future
which would be known as tails if he was not able to capture it and turn it into factual
history, therefore rightfully claiming the title of ‘The Godfather of Photography’ he has seen
the world in a different form and was able to keep it for the future.
Henri changed up photography as he added a new look at how to capture the day life of the
people as photography was uncommon in that era as most photographers had a
mathematical background or army related and was hard to gain access to a camera. He
changed the photography scene up, as when people were getting captured and
photographed they would strike a pose, know they were being photographed and wanted
to make sure they looked there best, from using make up, to fixing their hair an example
would be;

Not Photographed by Henri.

As you can see this is a solider striking a pose looking away from the
camera, he is propped up, clean clothes, shaved face and is aware its
being taken. What I could gather from this, it is a war photoshoot for his
family and loved one as it has the traditional plan background and
standard military pose. You can also tell it is a photoshoot by the
background’s depth of field as it is a very standard distance away to bring
focus to the man.

However, what this does capture is the age as in this he may be 20 years
old and is able to look back on the past and remember many things.

As soon as a photograph is captured it’s a freeze in history it allows you

to look at the past while you venture on to the future a skill like no other,
photography changed the world however Henri changed photography.

Milton H. Greene
Milton H. Greene was an American fashion, high class celebrity photographer and was
Marilyn Monroe go to photographer as his sense of fashion and understanding of the
camera was extra ornery he made his models not feel like clients however more friends and
made them come out of there shell a bit more and capture the true essence of them.
He was born in New York on the 14 of March 1922 and got into high fashion photography in
the 1940s-1950s and has appeared in Vogue magazine a high class prestige magazine, it
wasn’t until the 1950s-1960s where he photographed the high class celebrities including
Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor and the one and only Marilyn Monroe.
He began taking photos at the age of 14 and by the age of 23 he was known as ‘Colour
Photography Wonder Boy’ it was obvious he had an act for photography and especially in
colour he knew how to portray colour and fashion. It was Milton’s ability as a director that
he was able to capture the qualities that best personified the person, making a unique
statement. He believed than as an artist/photographer he wanted to capture people’s
beauty, which was in the heart and to show people in an elegant and natural way.
In this work of art you can see a high end celebrity Marilyn
Monroe not striking a pose to look good rather she’s sitting chilled
out 1 shoe off, shirt unbuttoned, hand loose, drinking whisky
(Considered a man’s drink back then) and laughing. Now if this
were anyone it would just seem normal, but this is Marilyn
Monroe a high-class celebrity just enjoying her shoot being natural
and not doing it for the camera. Milton was able to capture a
photo no other photographer could ever as Marilyn was the face
of beauty and was not common to see her like this but rather in
dresses, skirts, and a facial pose, this gave photography a shakeup.
Even for modern day photography no one could capture Kim
Kardashian doing anything like this, this is pure naturality.
However what draws my eyes to most is the spillage on the left
and the smile like ‘I don’t care’ which most photographers would
get annoyed at as they may have ruined a set for them however
Milton seen this an not a problem but a solution, even the camera
is off centred.

This is an image that will never be created again no connection will

come about again as he had a connection with Marilyn and the
camera like no other.

As you can see in this photo you can see how Milton
manipulated colour and lighting to make such a striking photo
your eyes immediately go towards the blonde hair and red
lips. The lighting in this is magnificent as he manipulated it so
cannot see a single piece of clothing. Marilyn was known for
her looks and body as she was on Playboy’s covers a lot and
Milton was able to focus the viewers eyes on her beauty, with
her curious and comfort look.

For the lighting to be perfect the hot shoe/top of camera

must not of been used as it would have been to close and
would expose the black a bit to much so you could see an
outline, white balance would also need to be taken into
consideration as to much or to little could mess the shoot up,
he would likely use some reflectors aswel to balance out the
light on her face and legs.

This photo was unusual as many people of the era are used to
seeing black on white background and not so much a black on
black excellent blend, Milton used a range of cameras and
lenses to capture his artwork. He gave the viewers of his work
some to look at and question it as it always had his own twist
of colour on it therefore proving his name of “Colour
Photography Wonder Boy” a true colour contrast expert.
 Not by Milton H. Greene

This is Marilyn on a photoshoot as you can see she is clearly posing

with a beautiful background and a beautiful person but it lacks over
all beauty something Milton could deliver like no other, the photo
just feels off when compared to Milton’s there’s just not the artistic
beauty captured, with little noise.

This is a great photograph, but it lacks the Milton effect, the colours
were chosen nicely and was shoot ready but it was just not natural
and feels a slight downgrade compared to Milton’s.

Conclusion and Evaluation

Both artist/photographers came from different background but had taken on the same
agenda, ‘change photography’, both had different styles as one was colour and was black
and white, this leading to completely different photos but they both were looking for the
same type of picture “unexpected” in Henri’s no one expected to see a man unaware he was
being captured and made people think of what they might of seen but might not of known
and Milton produced Marilyn in casual clothes laughing which is very uncommon and
unheard of. Both were masters of the camera and perceptions, there all art pieces and
cannot be grades/judged they both had different takes of shoots that lead them to
becoming photographer stars.
Photography is not just a simple point and shoots it’s much more it’s a big challenge to learn
from f-stop, ambient light, panning etc, photography is what you make it and both of these
made masterpieces.
I personally like both of these photographers as they opened up my eyes more to not see
the normal but the natural Henri showed me photography is anything you want and timing
is key and Milton showed me how the natural look is sometimes the best look and
understanding the colour contrasts are key for shoots.
https://erickimphotography.com/blog/2011/08/22/10-things-henri-cartier-bresson-can-teach-you-
about-street-photography/

https://www.morrisonhotelgallery.com/photographers/Qyj2uu/Milton-H-Greene

https://iconicimages.net/