Henri Cartier-Bresson

Watching the documentary about Henri Cartier-Bresson was...interesting? Frankly, it could not keep my attention. Maybe it was the dim lights or the serene music, but I found that I had a hard time keeping focused on the projection. I could not tell you anything about the video except that it was in black and white most of the time.
 
Even so, upon further investigation I found that Cartier was much more interesting than the video let on. His photographs are spectacular in that they truly capture the essence of life. Many portraits may show a person, but few reach the point where viewers want to know more about that person. To me, Cartier's photos are narratives of those people and of their environment, and viewers are able to reach a personal level and relate to them. Who are these people, and what is their story?

I love the concept of snapshots and how powerful they can be if done properly. Some criticize it, saying they aren't really "photographs" but I think that if I was able to look at a scene, pick out a composition regardless of external obstacles, and still take a beautiful photo showing exactly what life is really like, I would do it. (Then sign it on the bottom right and price it at $10,000.)