Henri Cartier-Bresson

Image © PeteM2020

As I came across these trees on a bitterly cold morning in Paris, my mind instantly went back to some memorable images by celebrated French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908 -2004). Although he was an avid fan of his 35mm Leica, some of his landscape photography was done with a 4x5 large format camera – I composed and cropped my image to reflect that format.


I also took a photograph of this scene without the person in the background - it’s a different picture all together. Not at all pleasing - funny how such a small detail can make such a huge difference. (Click on the image for a larger version)

Inspired

I often find inspiration from looking through the myriad of images at Magnum Photo’s web site. My latest exploration was the B&W work of Elliot Erwitt (1928 - ), a long-standing  Magnum Photo contributor.


Erwitt is credited with having coined the phrase: “A photograph should tell a story” and his images of dogs do just that. To have a look at some of his marvellous work – click here.


B&W photography is having a revival, and I’m enjoying it.

Bird Market, Paris                Image © PeteM2020

OP-ART

Hong Kong                    Image © PeteM2020

As I took this picture, my mind went briefly back to the 60’s and the Op-Art period.  That was the time of hippies, flower power, uncomfortable furniture and soft drugs. 

Victor Vasarely is usually described as the father of the genre with the other main players being Bridget Riley, Larry Poons and Richard Anuszkiewicz.  Op-Art’s best year was 1965 which saw a definitive exhibition, ‘The Responsive Eye’, at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Initially, most of the works were in stark black and white, but as the style matured, colour became an integral part of the art form. Repetition, pattern and chromatic tension became Op-Art’s stylistic hallmark.

I was at the time quite taken by all this. Looking today on the Internet at those early works, I feel they look somehow a little sterile and dated. However, I am not going to let that spoil some wonderful memories from my misspent youth.