Henri Cartier-Bresson: 摄影就是怎样表达自己

Henri Cartier-Bresson是现代摄影新闻的先驱和Magnum通讯社的联合创始人，毫无疑问，他是有史以来最伟大的摄影师之一。

Henri Cartier-Bresson, a pioneer of modern photojournalism and co-founder of the Magnum news agency, is without a doubt one of the greatest photographers of all time.

他的摄影作品是摄影史上的标志性作品，也是当代世界瞩目的重要见证人。布列松1908年出生于法国尚特卢普-布里，他是一位极具天赋的摄影师，将摄影确立为一种艺术形式，善于捕捉转瞬即逝的现实。

His photos are iconic works in the history of photography and important witnesses to the attention of the contemporary world. Born in Chantelope-Brie, France in 1908, Bresson was a gifted photographer who established photography as an art form, adept at capturing fleeting realities.

Bresson认为摄影是一种表达的手段，像音乐或诗歌一样，表达自己；像他一样的摄影记者通过图像提供见证的手段。Bresson还认为摄影也是一种谋生的手段。

Bresson sees photography as a means of expression, like music or poetry, to express oneself; photojournalists like him provide a means of witnessing through images. Bresson also sees photography as a means of earning a living.

作为记者，Bresson关注的不是印刷品本身的美学——质量、色调、深度、纹理等等——而是关注图像。生命首先涌现，然后才是美学。他认为图片被印制出来后，尽管很美，构图也完美，但，这些照片不是为沙龙制作的。所有印刷出来展览的图片不需要语言，仅仅需要一个标题，也可以有一些评论，但，摄影不完全是解释性。图片上下联系构成了它自己的语言。记者根据图片来撰文，让文字与图片相互匹配，而不是根据已有的文字来设计图片。

As a journalist, Bresson was not concerned with the aesthetics of the print itself—quality, tone, depth, texture, etc.—but with the image. Life emerges first, then aesthetics. He believed that after the pictures were printed, although beautiful and perfectly composed, they were not made for the salon. All the pictures printed for exhibitions do not need language, just need a title and some comments, but photography is not entirely interpretive. The context of the picture constitutes its own language. Instead of designing pictures based on existing words, journalists write articles based on pictures, matching words with pictures.

摄影师，是世界活动与生活的参与者，而不是旁观者。

Photographers are participants of world activities and life, they are not bystanders.

Bresson关注的的重点几乎全是人，但，作为记者而非工作室摄影师，他不会任意把人与他们的环境分开，不会把他们从居住地分离。主题人物生活和行动的外部(或内部)是一个重要的背景。Bresson用这个背景安置他的主体，赋予他们重要性，以他们值得的尊重对待他们。拍摄肖像时，他不会摆弄对象，只是观察，当特征涌现出来时，他便按下快门。

Bresson's focus is almost exclusively on people, but, as a journalist rather than a studio photographer, he didn't arbitrarily separate people from their environment, from where they "live". The exterior (or interior) of the subject's life and actions is an important context. Bresson used this background to place his subjects, to give them importance, and to treat them with the respect they deserve. When shooting portraits, he doesn't fiddle with subjects, he just observes, and when features emerge, he hits the shutter.

Bresson的拍摄方法以尊重为基础，但必须是真实、现实的: 没有嘈杂，没有个人的炫耀，不“准备”任何东西，不“安排”任何东西，主体只是在那里。带着目标摄影，程序化构图，非依赖直觉，是不能拍出好的照片的。唯一的艺术在于摄影师的人性思维，看待事物的方式，以及在特定时间地点的巧合。Bresson强调靠本能拍照，同时以本能构图。

Bresson's approach to shooting is based on respect, but it has to be real and realistic: no noise, no personal ostentation, no "preparation" of anything, no "arrangement" of anything, the subject is just there. Shooting with purpose, procedural composition, and not relying on intuition, will not make good photos. The only art lies in the human mind of the photographer, the way he sees things, and the coincidences of being at a particular time and place. Bresson emphasizes taking and composing pictures by instinct.

Bresson 自认为是古典主义。大多数照片是在均匀的光线下拍摄的。他认为Chaplin的电影是最好的，日落时，所有的光来自同一侧。Bresson对创造一个效果不感兴趣。另外，没有什么比实际生活更精确。所以，为保持真实Bresson从不使用闪光灯，因为不是生命之光。

Bresson considered himself a classicist. Most of the pictures are taken in uniform light, and he thought Chaplin's films are the best, with all the light coming from the same side at sunset. Bresson wasn't interested in creating an effect. Plus, nothing is more precise than real life. So, to keep things real, Bresson never used flash because it's not the light of life.

摄影必须保持真实，真实是摄影最大的优点。

Photography must be realistic, authenticity is the greatest strength of photography.

摄影记者不能把形式和内容分开，它们之间有一个完整的相互关系。沙龙摄影师和画派摄影师的作品经常拥有美丽的形式，但是，却非常空洞与空虚。记者的摄影内容非常重要，必须以图形的形式准确地呈现，以避免被不良的形式削弱甚至破坏。形式和内容的完美结合（自然而然），这是核心之所在。

A photojournalist cannot separate form and content, there is a complete interrelationship between them. The work of salon photographers and school photographers often has beautiful forms, but it is very hollow and empty. The content of a journalist's photography is very important and must be presented accurately in graphic form to avoid being weakened or even destroyed. The perfect combination of form and content (naturally), this is the core.

Bresson的照片有着惊人的结构，近乎全是几何线条和比例构成的平面。同时，他是少数几个禁止裁剪照片的摄影师之一。为此，他解释说裁剪就像配音电影，或整形后的漂亮女孩，她的脸是空洞无味的。在拍摄时构图才是唯一的真理，即使对记者来说也是如此。Bresson一些照片的构图是在1/100秒中安排出完全遵循黄金比例的。

Bresson's photographs are strikingly structured, almost entirely planes of geometric lines and proportions. At the same time, he was one of the few photographers who banned cropped photos. To that end, he explained that cropping is like a dub movie, or a pretty girl after plastic surgery, whose face is empty and tasteless. Composition is the only truth when shooting, even for journalists. Some of Bresson's photos are arranged in 1/100th of a second and fully followed the golden ratio.

Bresson认为相机是视线的延伸，所以，喜欢把相机放到眼睛的高度。拍摄技术是本能反应，不得不在百分之一秒中抓住所需的场景。根据镜头优势和拍摄场景的需要，他会选择不同深度的镜头，但他不会满手提箱全是镜头。他不常用广角镜头，因为同一平面上有很多东西所以会造成构图困难。

Bresson believed that the camera is an extension of the line of sight, so he liked to put the camera at eye level. The shooting technique is instinctive, having to capture the desired scene in hundredths of a second. Depending on the strength of the lens and the needs of the scene, he would choose shots of different depths, but he wouldn't fill a suitcase full of shots. He didn't use wide-angle lenses very often, because there are so many things on the same plane that make composition difficult.

Bresson喜欢锐利的照片，他不抽烟喝酒，利用三角架和单脚架，来保持相机的稳定性。任何一个微小的动作都可以造成照片的不锐利，达不到想要的效果。Bresson认为锐利是一种风格不是技术。在他看来，太多摄影师太关注技术而忘记了风格，而风格才是更重要的东西。

Bresson liked sharp photos, he doesn't smoke or drink, and uses tripods and monopods to keep the camera steady. Any slight movement can cause the photo to be unsharp and not achieve the desired effect. Bresson believed sharpness is a style, not a technique. In his opinion, too many photographers focus more on technique and forget about style, which is the more important thing.