Thank you for submitting another assignment! It’s always enjoyable to see people progress through the course.
The assignment:
What you need to do for this assignment is write a 500 word paper (approximately 1 page) on a photographer or artist that has had an impact on yourself as an artist. In this article you need to identify 2 important things.
1. A particular piece of work they created which was of particular importance to you.
2. What theme within their work is of greatest importance to you (i.e. war, love, family, color etc)We will review this assignment based on originality and perspective. There are no right or wrong answers. The aim of this assignment is to get you thinking about your own area of interest within the realm of photography.
Your short essay certainly resonates with me and easily meets the requirements of the assignment. Your essay is both original and has a unique perspective.
Henri Catier-Bresson is certainly a master. If I’m not mistaken he shot primarily with one 50 mm lens his entire life. Think about that, how easy is it to get caught up in fancy equipment, megapixels, prime lenses and all that when you could just be shooting. I’ve often thought of this work and thought to myself that I should always be shooting and instead of thinking about what equipment to use.
IF you can use photography as your medium to take the everyday mundane and turn it into art than you’ve arrived. Henri Cartier-Bresson certainly attained these levels.
Another reason he is so inspiring, other than the simplicity of his equipment selection, is that the subject matter of many of this photos is so common. Everyday streetlife is something we all see.
As you also mention in your piece he studied painting. We could all learn from the masters of composition, color, and style in the painters of ages old. They understood those elements in a way many of us photographers can only dream. I saw this first hand recently when I toured the Louvre museum in paris. Always use other mediums to inspire you, to learn, and become a better photographer. Especially motion pictures!
Humor in photography is very important. It is often not a simple task to illicit an emotional response from someone who looks at you photographs. Often humor is one of the easiest emotions to solicit. Always look for humor in your photography. We could all use more humor and lighter images.
Thank you for an excellent essay and I look forward to your next assignment!