Anthony Bun: Discussion Board 11: Kertesz and Cartier-Bresson vs. Smith and Salgado

Comparing the photography work between Andrew Kertesz and Henri Cartier-Bresson in contrast to Eugene Smith and Sebastio Salgado, it is clear that they all have a diverse style of shooting but they all bring a unique and distinctive offering to photography through their work and have had a great influence on photojournalism.

Each photographer take a distinctive approach on how they photography and report an image and that is what truly differentiates each one from another. Andre Kertesz and Henri Cartier- Bresson were two European photographers that are recognized for assisting in the development of “street photography” style. Andre Kertesz is best known for capturing the “decisive moment” which entailed taking pictures at that very instance that he felt were powerful and encapsulated the true feelings and emotions of a person or place. “Everything is a subject. Every subject has a rhythm. To feel it is the raison d'être. The photograph is a fixed moment of such a raison d'être, which lives on in itself,” is a quote taken from Andre Kertesz that reiterates how important capturing the moment was. This style is very similar to Henri Cartier-Bresson and his mind set when taking photographs. Both photographers also believed that it was important to remain unnoticed when shooting photographs. They wanted to remove any outside influences or distractions and they believed that by staying invisible, the photographs taken would capture true and raw emotions of their subject.

Eugene Smith and Sabestio Salgado shared a different approach that can be perceived as a bias approach but they believed in manipulating their photographs in to tell a story from their point-of-view through images. Being "invisible" was not important in capturing the moment.

Which photographer offered the better journalistic approach is a difficult question to answer. I believe that each photographer provides a unique and distinctive style in photography, but all share their pros and cons. While staying invisible and leaving photography un-edited can bring out raw emotions, editing photographs can assist in the creative direction of telling a story. Kertesz and Cartier- Bresson's style is appropriate for photos taken for journalism purposes should remain unedited because of strict guidelines and morals within the manipulation of journalistic photographs. In comparison, Smith and Salgado's style would be best for leisure and artistic style photographs including parties, landscapes, portraits, etc. Having the artistic freedom to edit photos can enhance the image to the liking of the photographer.

In conclusion, the work of Andrew Kertesz, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Eugene Smith and Sebastio Salgado all have had a great influence on photo journalism and provide a diverse history in shooting styles.