‘France, Essonne, near Juvisy-sur-Orge. 1955.’
The viewpoint is from above the subject which creates a bird’s eye view of the activity. I think what makes it work well is that every time you look, you notice something new. Bresson has attempted to capture a unique moment in time (as he described in the quote above) as a document of life and in this instance he has used his Candid skills to ensure the shot is natural and interesting. The space is well used in this photograph as the boats in the distance act as a horizon and draw attention to the people- the main focal point. This photograph reminds me of post world war two Britain when people had been encouraged to take cheap family outings to the countryside and take a picnic whilst enjoying the natural surroundings they were within. Perhaps Bresson intended for the photograph to show tranquillity with the natural setting and organic shapes of the people. Maybe this is what makes a photograph more than just a snapshot of the moment- something which has meaning to the photographer.
‘France 1956. A fisherman along the Seine, at the Pont du Carrousel with the Louvre Museum in background.’
The vantage point of this photograph is unusual. It makes us wonder why Bresson decided not to show the man’s face, what where his feelings when photographing this man and was the man of any significance to Bresson. Looking at the subject’s shape he is positioned like an anchor and ironically he has a fishing rod suggesting he’s a fisherman. Perhaps Bresson took this photograph because of its irony or perhaps the man was a friend of his and he simply wanted to document his friendship. This mystery makes the photograph more interesting to view. It makes it more than just a snapshot of life and something which can be investigated again and again without a conclusion. There are a lot of harsh lines in the photograph creating modern geometric shapes out of the once organic landscape. There is also irony in this; the simple skills of fishing are organic, yet this man lives in amongst artificial surroundings. The tones in the image are quite blending apart from the subject’s coat- this is much darker and more apparent than the buildings around him. This suggests the main focal point of the photograph is the man and nothing else in the photograph should be of any significance.
‘France. Ile-de-France. Yvelines. Meulan. 1956’
This photograph is framed by the two people and the long reeds. Similar to the other pictures Bresson has managed to capture so much that each time you look at the photo something new is spotted e.g. the ladies fur coat which you don’t necessarily notice in the first instance. By capturing so much in one photograph it creates depth and interest- making the viewer look further into the photograph and decipher the meaning. The content of the image is representational of the people of the 50’s. I think Bresson’s intentions were simply to capture the beauty of the nature we are surrounded by. It was taken with a fast shutter speed and natural lighting was used to help the sense of natural surroundings.