HCB's Film

[chip j]

According to a 1963 book I have ("Photographs by Cartier Bresson) he went out w/5 rolls of film--4 medium speed and 1 fast one. And a M3 w/35, 50, & 90 lenses.

 

[DDTJRAC]

He was a minimalist...

 

[Lachlan Young]

In the late 50's apparently he used HP3 'rated at box speed' (ie pre-1960) & processing was done variously in 777, D-76 & Promicrol. Can dig out the source if needed, but he wasn't using anything especially exotic, especially as 777 etc really don't seem to have any significant benefits over D-23 etc (as I understand it, that was the effective conclusion Henn et al arrived at when formulating D-23 & D-25).

Likely by the time of your reference, he was referring to HP3 & HPS (1 stop faster brother of HP3).

 

[miha]

Tri-X: http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2011/09/09/my-time-with-henri-cartier-bresson-by-ishu-patel/

 

[faberryman]

He probably used a lot of different films during his time as a photographer. I'm not sure I see the relevance of what film he used at any given time.

 

[CropDusterMan]

Tri-X: http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2011/09/09/my-time-with-henri-cartier-bresson-by-ishu-patel/

I'd read this before...was fascinating. He was such a talented man, with such a kind and low-key disposition.
Class. Wish I'd been able to sit with him in his prime in a Paris cafe somewhere and just talk about his journeys.

 

[macfred]

Tri-X: http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2011/09/09/my-time-with-henri-cartier-bresson-by-ishu-patel/

Thank you for sharing this - it's a gread read!

 

[Ko.Fe.]

According to a 1963 book I have ("Photographs by Cartier Bresson) he went out w/5 rolls of film--4 medium speed and 1 fast one. And a M3 w/35, 50, & 90 lenses.

He would have at least two M3. And sometimes third one with color, if it was requested.

 

[NB23]

This is all bullshité to me.

There’s atgat guy doing his thing, even maybe picking his nose between two shots, and here we are analyzing and scrutinizing all of it.

Maybe I’m too bored, or too down to earth. Who knows.

 

[summicron1]

It is interesting to wonder what the great guys used, as if there were some magic item they had that we don’t...there’s a joke that there was an 11th Zone only Ansel Adams knew about, and in a way there was—his ability to see the photo and capture it using the tools he had.

Read recently that wire service shooters in vietnam were generally carrying what we now would consider minimalist gear — a 35mm camera with a 135mm lens, a 50 and maybe a 35 — and you see several of them with Leica M3s sporting a 21mm lens, and that was usually it.

Mary Ellen Mark shoots tri-x exclusively, or used to anyway.

It’s all about knowing your gear as well as you can and using it to its best potential. Or, as the old guys like to say “f8 and be there.”

 

[Bill Burk]

According to a 1963 book I have ("Photographs by Cartier Bresson) he went out w/5 rolls of film--4 medium speed and 1 fast one. And a M3 w/35, 50, & 90 lenses.

Did your book mention whether those were bulk rolls?

I thought I read he would load cassettes right out of one can and unload into another, just adding finished loose strips of film around the spool...

 

[faberryman]

Did HCB wear boxers or briefs?

 

[macfred]

Did HCB wear boxers or briefs?

Probably long johns in fine-rip quality ... Those were the days.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

... [Cartier Bresson] went out w/5 rolls of film--4 medium speed and 1 fast one. And a M3 w/35, 50, & 90 lenses.

He didn't use all that for every photo.

 

[Lachlan Young]

Did your book mention whether those were bulk rolls?

I thought I read he would load cassettes right out of one can and unload into another, just adding finished loose strips of film around the spool...

Probably using IXMOO cassettes or similar - and he'd likely been working the same way since 1931.

Read recently that wire service shooters in vietnam were generally carrying what we now would consider minimalist gear — a 35mm camera with a 135mm lens, a 50 and maybe a 35 — and you see several of them with Leica M3s sporting a 21mm lens, and that was usually it.

Or even more minimalist - Don McCullin used a 28 & 135 (or something on that order) & that was it. I think his bigger priority was having a camera that he didn't have to take bits off to load film into while lying flat on his back in a trench...

 

[wyofilm]

Did HCB wear boxers or briefs?

I can't focus when my draws are riding up, but I guess no one cares what I wear!

 

[wyofilm]

Tri-X: http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2011/09/09/my-time-with-henri-cartier-bresson-by-ishu-patel/

What an entertaining read. Thanks!

 

[chip j]

Did your book mention whether those were bulk rolls?

I thought I read he would load cassettes right out of one can and unload into another, just adding finished loose strips of film around the spool...

My book didn't say.

Did HCB wear boxers or briefs?

He was so sexed up he didn't wear underwear--got in the way.

 

[DDTJRAC]

He probably used a lot of different films during his time as a photographer. I'm not sure I see the relevance of what film he used at any given time.

Concur.

Cartier-Bresson didn't bother with film processing / printing. (He did it only in the early part of his career.) He was not in love with the process, he was not an armchair chemist or a gear-head. His time was too valuable for the darkroom and he used his time for shooting.

Later in his career he was all about painting / drawing and he gave up photography. He wanted to be an artist, not a photog.

 

[DDTJRAC]

It is interesting to wonder what the great guys used, as if there were some magic item they had that we don’t...there’s a joke that there was an 11th Zone only Ansel Adams knew about, and in a way there was—his ability to see the photo and capture it using the tools he had.

Read recently that wire service shooters in vietnam were generally carrying what we now would consider minimalist gear — a 35mm camera with a 135mm lens, a 50 and maybe a 35 — and you see several of them with Leica M3s sporting a 21mm lens, and that was usually it.

Mary Ellen Mark shoots tri-x exclusively, or used to anyway.

It’s all about knowing your gear as well as you can and using it to its best potential. Or, as the old guys like to say “f8 and be there.”

Internet Photo - Fair Use

 

[DDTJRAC]

I'd read this before...was fascinating. He was such a talented man, with such a kind and low-key disposition.
Class. Wish I'd been able to sit with him in his prime in a Paris cafe somewhere and just talk about his journeys.

Cartier-Bresson was an early mentor of mine when I was starting out. But, I'm more of a Weegee man myself. When it comes to Weegee...we are both cut from the same cloth.

 

[DDTJRAC]

I can't focus when my draws are riding up, but I guess no one cares what I wear!

HCB used zone focus...

 

[RalphLambrecht]

In the late 50's apparently he used HP3 'rated at box speed' (ie pre-1960) & processing was done variously in 777, D-76 & Promicrol. Can dig out the source if needed, but he wasn't using anything especially exotic, especially as 777 etc really don't seem to have any significant benefits over D-23 etc (as I understand it, that was the effective conclusion Henn et al arrived at when formulating D-23 & D-25).

Likely by the time of your reference, he was referring to HP3 & HPS (1 stop faster brother of HP3).

I used HP5 in D-76 without much success; I guess thereinlies the difference!

 

[tezzasmall]

Internet Photo - Fair Use

View attachment 214561

I reckon the bloke in the picture has just about all of my equipment that is stored in various bags around the house = I suppose I'd best check that it's actually NOT my stuff!!!

Terry S

 

[AgX]

According to a 1963 book I have ("Photographs by Cartier Bresson) he went out w/5 rolls of film--4 medium speed and 1 fast one. And a M3 w/35, 50, & 90 lenses.

"For this reason he almost always used Kodak Tri-X (400ASA) film. Almost every half hour I passed him a cassette of fresh film and made notes for the exposed cassette which he had just handed to me."

He was a minimalist...