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Henri Cartier-Bresson
(1908-present)
"'Manufactured'
or staged photography does not concern me. And if I make
a judgment, it can only be on a psychological or sociological
level. For me, the camera is a sketchbook, an instrument
of intuition and spontaneity and the master of the instant,
which questions and decides simultaneously. In order to
"give a meaning" to the world, one has to feel
oneself involved in what he frames through the viewfinder.
This attitude requires concentration, a discipline of
mind, sensitivity, and a sense of geometry.
To take photographs means to
recognize both the fact itself and the rigorous organization
of visually perceived forms that give it meaning. It is
putting one's head, one's eye and one's hearth on the
same axis.
As far as I am concerned, taking
photographs is means of understanding, which can not be
separated from other means of visual expression. It is
a way of shooting, of freeing oneself, not of proving
or asserting one's own originality. It is a way of life."
"We are passive onlookers
in a world that moves perpetually. Our only moment of
creation is that 1/125th of a second when the shutter
clicks, the signal is given, and motion is stopped..."
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The Golden Rectangle in Photography
And now we return, full circle, to how the Golden
Rectangle relates to 35mm photography. We cannot speak further
on this subject without mentioning Henri Cartier-Bresson, arguably
the most imporant photographer of the 20th century. Before he
ever became a photographer however, Cartier-Bresson studied
painting under the Cubist painter, Andre Lhote. Beginning in
1928, he underwent the visual training which would eventually
enable him to capture on film what he would later call, "Images
a la Sauvette," better known as "The Decisive Moment".
Indeed, before Lhote passed away, he commented on Bresson's
photography, "Everything comes from your training as a
painter".
So how does Bresson relate to the importance of
the 3:2 aspect ratio? Interestingly, Cartier-Bresson never cropped
any of his images. Every single photograph he displayed was
a full 35mm frame just as it came from one of his Leicas. Cartier-Bresson
would file out the negative carriers to specifically show that
the print was an uncropped, full-frame enlargement composed
entirely in the camera. He wrote. “In order to ‘give
a meaning' to the world, one has to feel oneself involved in
what he frames through the viewfinder. This attitude requires
concentration, a discipline of mind, sensitivity, and a sense
of geometry.” The geometry Cartier-Bresson speaks of is
that of the 35mm frame. Notable war photographer, Don
McCullin, said of Cartier-Bresson, "I think I speak for
every photographer and especially Magnum photographers, when
I say that Henri really introduced the concept of perfect composition
into our thinking. He was the first to teach us to compose within
the specific shape of the 35mm frame and to utilize the very
nature of that camera and format."
But why such devotedness to the seemingly arbitrary
3:2 aspect ratio? In Figure 7, we see that the aspect ratio
of 35mm film is in fact a very close approximation of the Golden
Rectangle.
Figure 7: 35mm film and the Golden Rectangle
Although efforts to try and analyze Cartier-Bresson's
genius would probably be pointless, by looking at several of
Bresson's photographs, we can clearly see the close relationship
between his compositions and the Golden Rectangle. This is most
likely a carryover from his training as a painter, as his mentor
Lhote suggested. The amazing thing is that, unlike a painter
who can create his compositions at his leisure, Cartier-Bresson
had to discover them in the unpredictable and relentless tempo
of everyday life. We see, in Figure 8, how the line of children
in one of Cartier-Bresson's photographs closely follows a logarithmic
spiral.
Figure 8:
In Figure 9, we see how Cartier-Bresson used the
proportions of the Golden Rectangle to form his composition.
Figure 9:
Interestingly, most people would probably say
that the photo above follows the Rule
of Thirds. However, I would venture to say that the Rule
of Thirds is merely a specific application or simplification
of the Golden Rectangle. In Figure 10, we see an overlay of
the Rule of Thirds over the Golden Rectangle. In this overlay,
the four points located at the intersections of the lines dividing
the image into thirds, considered the sweet spots of composition,
fall approximately where the Golden Rectangle converges if allowed
to repeat inside itself. Perhaps the Rule of Thirds actually
has its origins in the Golden Rectangle.
Figure 10: Overlay of the Rule of Thirds
over the Golden Rectangle
So, there you have it, a compelling argument against
the idea that the 3:2 aspect ratio is simply an arbitrary standard
some manufacturer decided on years ago for no valid reason.
I leave you with my own attempt at applying the Golden Rectangle
to photography.
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