Henri Cartier-Bresson At MOMA: On first blush

“I prowl the streets all day feeling very strung-up and I’m ready to pounce, determined to trap life, to preserve life in the act of living”
Henri Cartier-Bresson

If the phrase “The Decisive Moment” means anything to you, then the name Henri Cartier-Bresson probably ranks high in your photographic lexicon.
One of the most influential photographers of the last century, his definition of the essence of photography in that moment, created multiple generations of photojournalists and artists still ascribing to that momentary click of the shutter as the, well, decisive moment of the art.
The photographers choice, as the elements coalesce in the frame to create a story.

This massive retrospective opening at MOMA on Sunday, April 11, Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century, is the first exhibit of this magnitude to be mounted since his death in 2004, and the largest exhibit of his work in 30 years in the US.
Drawing from many largely unseen photographs from the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, along with many, although not all, of his iconic images, these almost 300 images will take you on a visual and geographic journey through the famed photographers career.
One thing we found particularly unusual, was a series he did for an annual report in 1960 for a banking firm, Bankers Trust. His moral compass notes are relayed in a descriptor board next to this section.
The collection itself is pretty overwhelming, as room after room, reveal a new chapter in his travels.
Along the walls in certain rooms are the accompanying original magazine articles, where much of the work was originally intended for use.

The curation of the show is brilliant, as you are first given a surprise look at a print actually made by Cartier-Bresson (he stopped printing very early in his photo career) in comparison to a lab print. Historically, it reflects the Euro style for printing, as the lower contrast gives you a softer approach into the image.
From there, some of your faves are on display, giving the fan a comfort zone to lead into the new imagery.

His work in Spain, coming early in the show, proved to be an extremely prolific and iconic visual journey.
The layout of the show allows you to approach his work on 2 sides of the hall and meet in the middle, where the incredible book on the show is laid out on tables or your viewing pleasure.
There are gems all along the way, and the viewer is rewarded with the trek to the absolute back of the show of Henri-Cartier Bressons portraits, mainly of the famous artists of his time.
When asked how long a portrait session would take, he answered “Longer than the dentist,but shorter than the psychoanalyst”.

The exhibit itself is like Continue Reading »

“What’s In The Bag?” w/ Kristian Dowling – Part 6: Bend it, Shape it, Anyway you want it

In this segment, Kristian Dowling, shows some of the way to modify your light.
Bend it, soften it, spread it, shape it, and even color tone it to get the shadows and illumination just where you want it.
He is highly skilled and an artist in the location lighting techniques, used to create some of the dramatic work seen on his site.
The challenges of a location shoot are amplified when the relative calm and safety of a studio give way to real life , and it is the photographer who knows their tools, that can create a new reality, shaping the light they add to the scene.

Watch and learn as Kristian shows you the gear he brings to get the most out of the least amount of pro equipment.
(the light was constantly changing drastically as we shot, so please forgive us.)

Weekly Giveaway – A quarterly look at the photographic arts we love : Aperture Magazine

We do this from time to time.
A little swing back to the point of it all. The beauty and power of a still image
Sure, we love our tools and we want to learn the best way to use them in order to achieve the creative goals we envision.
There will be many more of our What’s in The Bag? Series (a new one is coming tomorrow)
We love our gear and, most importantly, knowing he right gear for the job.

But we always have to step back and take a look at the photographic work that is out there, making a creative difference in all of our lives.
One of the best barometers of it all, for us, is the quarterly magazine Aperture. A non-profit organization, we support them by our subscription and we’d like to give one of you a subscription.

The high quality of the magazine itself, coupled with incredible good taste in the selection of materials, make the 4 times a year it arrives in our mailbox, happy days, as a couple of hours of pure photographic joy is in our future each time.
And it’s the kind of mag to keep. We keep years of the mag around as reference, and sometimes just to see what may have been missed.
Many times we’ve been turned onto photographers work that burst onto the scene globally a long time after Aperture had he foresight to call it out.

Yep, we’re fans and have been for many years.

Perhaps the winner this week will become a fan, too.
And even if you don’t get a subscription from us, it’s worth picking up a copy and seeing for yourself. You’ll be convinced, we know.

This is a special offer only for the subscribers of the NEWSLETTER. Make sure you are subscribed by Tuesday evening o be eligible for the Aperture subscription, this weeks giveaway.

“What’s In the Bag?” w/ Kristian Dowling Part 5: Light hardware

This is a first for us, as we get into the pro strobe arena.
Kristian Dowling is one of the premier freelance photographers, currently living in Los Angeles, who is known, not only for his event photography, but in addition, beautiful and effective location portraiture.
We’re not talking about carrying around a bag of speedlights. This is the pro model, or Profoto to be exact.
The right tool for the right job, we always say.

Kristian will show you not only the gear he uses, but the bags and cases he uses to transport it all, and why.
That’s a pretty important aspect of all of this. The why of it all.

We love sharing the secrets of the working pros.
Of course, you should always remember: “Someone can tell you the best guitar to buy, but it doesn’t mean you will be able to play it like Clapton”

And through all of this, a huge thanks to Kristian, who was willing to share and teach a bit here.
Cheers to you, mate.

NB: While shooting these sections of the vid, we had wildly shifting natural light. The gear still looks right, and we hope the variations are not overly distracting.

“What’s In The Bag?” w/ Kristian Dowling: this time we see the cameras

This time Kristian Dowling gets to the meat of the matter: Out comes the hardware-Nikon D3 and Nikon D3s.
He’ll tell you why these cameras are his choice, plus this time you get a close look at the bag itself, a ThinkTank Airport Security V.20.

And now part, Part 4 with Kristian Dowling,

Coming soon, We look at his brilliant approach to location lighting gear.
When you hear from the photographers that make their living with the gear, you know it’s been tested right.

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