THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EYE

egin photographing. If the light is
fairly consistent, then set your aperture
for an average reading. Adjust
it for a particular shot only if you
have time. (More often than not,
you'll be able to produce an acceptable
print, even if the negative is
darker or lighter than it should be.)
If your subject is likely to be difficult
for any reason (such as being shy or
nervous), then try to focus your lens
in advance as well. Simply guess at
the distance and use the distance scale
on the focusing ring or aim at
something near the subject and focus
on that. Using a small aperture will
help ensure accuracy. Finally be sure
to advance your film before you try
to grab the shot. (You'd be amazed
at how often photographers forget to
do this.)
Rule #2: Scan the entire frame for
"interference." The most common
flaw in "street" photographs is a tree
growing out of someone's head . . .
or some variation on that theme. A
face that disappears into a matching
background, legs and arms poking in
from the borders of the frame and extra
heads in odd places are additional
examples of common interference
problems. These problems can almost
always be avoided with one quick
glance around the frame and, if
necessary, a slight shift in viewing
angle before clicking the shutter. This
procedure should become just as
automatic as checking the light meter
or focusing the lens. In fact, it is the
one thing you should be doing all the
time you're looking through the
viewfinder. Once you have your shot
all lined up, you'll almost always have
time (it only takes a fraction of a second)
to check out the edges of your
subject and the borders of your frame
just before you click the shutter.
198 The Photographic Eye
FOCAL POINT: Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson (pronounced
kar-tiay brays-son) devoted
himself to the challenge of preserving
"life in the act of living" — and he
succeeded. In the process, he virtually
invented what has since come to be
the defining characteristic of
photography: its ability to capture a
fleeting instant.
From its beginnings, photography
was limited by its technical requirements.
Equipment was large and
bulky. Film reacted slowly to light,
requiring subjects to remain stationary
for exposures of 15 minutes
or more. Unless they confined themselves
to panoramic street scenes and
were content with blurs in place of
people, early photographers were
simply unable to pursue their craft
without attracting (or requiring) attention.
As a result, photographing
people, from portraiture to news
coverage, tended to be a rather
solemn affair. Subjects would be
strapped into their chairs, braced
upright from behind or asked to
stand very still.
The technology of photography
gradually began to change. Cameras
became smaller and films became
faster. Despite these developments,
the approach of photographers to
their craft remained slow and solemn.
Portraits still involved sitting up
straight and staring into the unfriendly
eye of the camera. Group
photographs tended to convey the
impression of actors posing patiently
on stage. Street scenes seemed
more concerned with buildings,
weather and vehicles than with people.
A technical requirement had
evolved into a style.
Though not the first to break
through this stylistic barrier, Cartier-
Bresson unquestionably did so with
the most flair and passion. Recognizing
that a small camera permitted him
to be unnoticed, he learned to "grab"
events as they happened. What he
lost in image quality and composition,
he gained in the startling emotional
impact of the image. Rather
than viewing the world as a detached
observer, Cartier-Bresson seemed to
throw himself into the midst of
things. And, through his photographs
that experience could be
shared by anyone.
Cartier-Bresson coined the term
"decisive moment" to describe what
he looked for as he explored the
world with his camera. Rather than
projecting his ideas or interpretations
onto his subjects —as Ansel Adams,
Edward Weston and others would
advocate —Cartier-Bresson and
others in his "school" of photography
watched for that split second when all
the elements of a scene fell into place
on their own and "clicked." It was a
radical departure, and one that is still
hotly debated. Without question,
however, the "decisive moment" approach
has resulted in many remarkable
images and profoundly affected
our understanding both of photography
and of the world that it
records.
Cartier-Bresson was born in
France in 1908. He studied in Paris
and Cambridge, England. He concentrated
on painting until 1931,
when he began working as a freelance
photographer in Europe, Africa and
Mexico. He later worked with Jean
Renoir, making motion pictures.