2020 Vision | Shooting like Henri

I am greatly inspired by the work of Henri Cartier Bresson.

His images come from another time and place and yet, there is a lot to learn.

Today I shot with a 35mm on my crop body so my field of view is that of a classic 50mm.

Henri Cartier Bresson used one camera and lens for his entire life; his trusty Leica paired with a 50mm Lens.

In studying his images and various websites regarding his work, I noticed his images looked environmental.

There was a context to his subject matter.

It was as if he was using a 35mm.

He said of the 35mm and I paraphrase, “it’s a beautiful lens - you need to be accountable for everything in the frame ”

Now, I love the classic 35mm field of view.

I thought it would be interesting to create images using my 35mm on my crop sensor with the additional thought of framing my images with more context to the subject matter. This means standing further back and seeing the visual landscape for creative possibilities.

I fell right into it.

I felt as if I had full frame 35mm lens on my camera; it was as if my brain and legs knew where to stand for the environmental context.

How much to include or exclude in my frame became a matter of choice.

Scanning the edges of my frame answered all questions.

This was a very useful exercise because I came away with appreciation for my legs.

Movement is key.

This final image is one part environmental mixed with an impromptu Portrait that took place early this morning.

This is Baba.

He saw me creating images and we got chatting. The portrait occurred out of the natural flow of conversation. I instinctively moved my self backwards about 2 metres and created this moment.

So, that’s my homage to Henri Cartier Bresson. I saw a video of him on YouTube shooting in a busy market place. He was well dressed, looking sharp, camera at his side, he walked like a panther, when he saw the moment, up on top toes, he created the image without breaking sweat or stride.

He was classy and had the vibe of a Bon Vivant.

Thanks for reading

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