All Leica Masters of Photography Quotes

Henri Cartier-Bresson | America, Part Two

NEW YORK CITY—West Point cadets and their admiring young ladies attend the Army vs. Notre-Dame football game, 1947. © Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

NEW YORK CITY—West Point cadets and their admiring young ladies attend the Army vs. Notre-Dame football game, 1947. © Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

Actually, I’m not all that interested in the subject of photography. Once the picture is in the box, I’m not all that interested in what happens next. Hunters, after all, aren’t cooks.

-Henri Cartier-Bresson

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—A football game between Michigan and Northwestern, 1960.  © Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—A football game between Michigan and Northwestern, 1960. © Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

RENO, Nev.—1947. © Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

RENO, Nev.—1947. © Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

The creative act lasts but a brief moment, a lightning instant of give-and-take, just long enough for you to level the camera and to trap the fleeting prey in your little box.

-Henri Cartier-Bresson

NEW JERSEY—Solitary confinement in the model prison of Leesburg, 1975. © Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

NEW JERSEY—Solitary confinement in the model prison of Leesburg, 1975. © Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

NEW JERSEY—Manhattan and the Hudson River, seen from Hoboken, 1947. © Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

NEW JERSEY—Manhattan and the Hudson River, seen from Hoboken, 1947. © Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

LAGRANGE, Ga.—1961. © Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

LAGRANGE, Ga.—1961. © Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

TEXAS—1957. © Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

TEXAS—1957. © Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

Think about the photo before and after, never during. The secret is to take your time. You mustn’t go too fast. The subject must forget about you. Then, however, you must be very quick.

-Henri Cartier-Bresson

NEW YORK CITY—Manhattan Bankers Trust, 1960.  © Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

NEW YORK CITY—Manhattan Bankers Trust, 1960. © Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

NEW YORK—1959. © Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

NEW YORK—1959. © Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos

Leave a Comment

Privacy Settings
We use cookies to enhance your experience while using our website. If you are using our Services via a browser you can restrict, block or remove cookies through your web browser settings. We also use content and scripts from third parties that may use tracking technologies. You can selectively provide your consent below to allow such third party embeds. For complete information about the cookies we use, data we collect and how we process them, please check our Privacy Policy
Youtube
Consent to display content from - Youtube
Vimeo
Consent to display content from - Vimeo
Google Maps
Consent to display content from - Google