1908-

During World War II he served in the

French army, was captured by the
Germans, escaped and joined the
Resistance. In 1946, Carder-Bresson
travelled to New York City for an exhibit of his photographs at the
Museum of Modern Art. While
there, he helped establish Magnum,
which has long been one of the most
prestigious photo agencies.

Henri Cartier-Bresson, Brussels, 1937.

Putting It AII Together

199

EXERCISE

Fairs
Assignment: Photograph a public
gathering that fits the general idea of
a "fair" any event where people get
together for festivities, entertainment, games and/or food.
Goal: People tend to go to interesting extremes at fairs: dressing
up as clowns; wearing costumes from
different countries or periods in
history; dancing, eating, playing
games and generally having a good
time with exceptional enthusiasm.
Try to capture this spirit in your
photographs.
Tips: You may interpret "fair" to
include festivals, amusement parks,
carnivals, parades, cattle auctions,
folk dances, craft shows, circuses,
horse shows and any other similar
events.
Try to take your photographs outdoors, rather than indoors. (Shooting
an indoor crowd scene with even
sophisticated flash equipment is no
easy job.)
Think of ways to get right in the
midst of the action. For example, you
might get out on a ride, such as a
roller coaster, and photograph people on it. Try shooting at slow shutter speeds, for blurs. Get up in a ferris wheel and shoot down.

200 The Photographic Eye

Student photograph by Bruce Senior.