Eye, Heart, and Mind
After reading Henri Cartier-Bresson’s pieces, I found his writing to be very interesting. I can tell from the writing, there have been years of experience from this photographer. A lot of explanations were used made me consider and really evaluate how I will be taking photographs for not only my projects but even after this class.
One idea that is introduced is “…introduce the artists into the complete understanding of its construction’s shadows and lights appear with their precise degrees of firmness and softness…” This quote really made me connect back to my art class because we have started to practice shadows and how-to from drawings by not using tons of lines but rather through the shadow and light. Similarly, I would like to incorporate and really focus on shadow and light when taking photographs and make sure I intensify the areas I would like to with the usage of shadows.
Another significant aspect I found was “…must feel oneself involved in what one frame through the viewfinder. This attitude requires concentration, a disciplined of mind, sensitivity, and a sense of geometry.” This idea is very important because it’s important to like what you photograph to the point where you can imagine yourself in the pictures and therefore go from there with how you would like to photograph the scenes.
Lastly, Bresson stresses the importance of being in the moment. He describes that photographers are constantly working with things that are continually “vanishing or vanished.” He states, “but for photographers, what has gone is gone forever.” This quote really captures and signifies the importance of being in the moment and only focusing on what you are willing to capture and not focusing on ten other things. It should be you, the camera, and the scene to create wonderful pieces.