www.DigitalMTB.com www.alandavisphoto.net
"There are no honorable bargains involving the exchange of qualitative merchandise like souls, for quantitative merchandise like time or money." -William S. Burroughs
Thank you for posting this! His work influenced me the most of anybody. I vividly remember studying him 20 years ago. His images have come to me many, many times over the years as I've looked through the viewfinder. I've always been on a quest to get the kind of shot he would have gotten.
Thank you, Henri, for what you've given the world.
Drink Coffee. Do stupid things faster with more energy.
Just read this: http://www.startribune.com/stories/466/4910970.htmlI don't know if I can call him an influence in what I shoot, but maybe a little more in how I shoot. The book about the history of the Magnum agency is an excellent read - as a founder there is much in it about him, of course. He had an amazing life and we all benefited from it.
He was the photographer who inspired my work more than any other photographer. The ultimate street photographer and a great loss to the art world.
I saw his work for the first time in person this spring at a Magnum exhibition. Great show with a dozen of his photos represented. Ironically I took this photo of a man looking at one of Bresson's photos. Link to the Magnum site.
Last edited by Gerry Widen; 08-04-2004 at 12:28 PM.
I was first introduced to his work in 1968 when my photography mentor handed me a book of his images and said, "here is what you are striving for." He was a great influence on photograph during the last century and his work will continue to be for years to come. His wonderful eye for, "The Decisive Moment" will be missed by the world.
HCB inspires me as well. I've used his portfolio of images -- with his taped narration -- in my workshops on photographic communication for the last 33 years. My students have told me that once they see his images and hear his words, they never think the same way about their photography again.
He lived a long and productive life. His work has influenced generations of expressive photographers, and will continue to do so. He was a surrealist who called himself a photojournalist. He claimed that photography does not take any brains, that for him it was purely instinctive. Yet his images provoke much thought from those who view them.
His career linked the birth of both 35mm photography and the dawn of the digital era. He founded one of the greatest photo agencies in the world, yet practiced photography as an artist -- usually on his own terms, rather than his clients.
He rarely concerned himself with technique for its own sake, however. He used a battered Leica with a 50mm lens. He never printed his own images. His most fervent wish was to remain invisible.
My favorite HCB quote: "There are no maybes in photography. All the maybes should go in the trash."
Be sure to read the lengthy obituary in today's New York Times at: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/04/ob...ARTIER.html?hp (You must be registered to access the site, but registration is free.) It does full justice to his memory.
Phil Douglis
Director, The Douglis Visual Workshops
Phoenix, Arizona
pnd1@cox.net
Thanks pnd1! Your thoughtful and knowledgeable reply to this thread was very much appreciated. It is very obvious form this post you have a lot to contribute. I hope to see your comments more often. Thanks for posting.
I enjoy contributing to this forum because its one of the few places on the web where people talk about ideas involving photography, as opposed to equipment and technique. In fact, I think HCB himself might have felt comfortable posting here. For him, photography was pure expression -- technique was always secondary, a means to an end.
I've posted about 35 times since PhotoJohn invited me to participate back in May, and look forward to continuing to add my views as opportunities present themselves.
Phil Douglis
Director, The Douglis Visual Workshops
Phoenix, Arizona
pnd1@cox.net
I enjoy contributing to this forum because its one of the few places on the web where people talk about ideas involving photography, as opposed to equipment and technique. In fact, I think HCB himself might have felt comfortable posting here. For him, photography was pure expression -- technique was always secondary, a means to an end.
I've posted about 35 times since PhotoJohn invited me to participate back in May, and look forward to continuing to add my views as opportunities present themselves.
After reading your last post on HCB I went back and read your other post. All were well written and helpful. It's a pleasure to have someone of your knowledge and understanding participating.
I have and will continue to be out of the net, for this past week and the next two weeks.
So I would have never known this had I not checked in this morning.
Thanks for sharring Alan!
God Bless You Henri! And thanks for being such and incredible and inspiring photographer!
Brian
“A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed, and is, thereby, a true manifestation of what one feels about life in its entirety...” - Ansel Adams
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Originally Posted by pnd1
