Henri-cartier Bresson- The Decisive Moment

Henri-cartier Bresson, the decisive moment is one of his works that he is known best for, it is a book of image published as a la sauvette, it included a portfolio of 126 of his images from the east and west. He chose the name the decisive moment for he said; 'there is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment'.

 This image was taken in France, on sunday on the banks of the river Seine in 1938. This image captures presumably a family meal taking place on the banks of a river with an empty boat docked to the shore, This image is a fantastic documentary piece because it shows off real life for example, in France having a meal and drinking wine as a family is a big part of their culture, we presume this is their time of leisure, this therefore reflects a way of life, parts of the photo are also left out as we don't know for sure if that's their boat and why they are there etc but, the exact moment that this is taken shows off all the different individual elements within the picture and the blank tone of the river works well as a backdrop against the boat and the people, this creates contrast and therefore is an interesting image.

Hyeres, France 1932. The mute changes in tone throughout the majority of this picture really makes the darker colours of the man  on the bike and the stair handrail contrast against the blankness of the rest of the image. This means that these two factors become our main subjects of the piece, I love the bleakness of the image and the way in which all the changes in tone are so subtle so for example all the walls and the brickwork this creates a really eerie effect. This is a great documentary piece as it captures a very normal act, a man on a bicycle on the way to who know's where this leaves mystery and interest. The angle of the shot is great as the leading lines of the stairs make you follow that part of the picture all the way down towards the cyclist.

Paris, Place De L'Europe, Gare Saint Lazare, 1932. In this image a man or boy is seen running over a large puddle of water, he has just jumped from a ladder. He automatically sticks out as the main subject as he is a black tone and he casts a reflection in the  water below him this automatically grabs our attention, the composition of the shot is very good as there is a perfect reflection and a lot of change in tone and shape. This is a great documentary shot as it's been shot in a train station area where people would be running through etc and therefore reflects the type of circumstance that it's been taken under.