Today was a sad day in the world of photography. News media were informed today that Henri Cartier-Bresson passed away on Monday, at the age of 95.

Cartier-Bresson has been the most important influence on me as a photographer, above even Ansel Adams. Adams didn’t like photographing people, famously characterizing rocks and trees as “more predictable”. Cartier-Bresson absolutely lived to photograph people and illustrate the human condition, celebrating its unpredictability. I have always respected his uncanny sense of timing, his ability to capture the perfect, quintessential moment.

Trained as an artist and painter, Cartier-Bresson experimented with photography as a boy using a Brownie. Later, in his twenties, he spent a few days shooting snapshots and fell in love with the medium. He loved the idea of capturing life, freezing it in time and preserving it.

He used 35mm Leica rangefinder cameras almost exclusively. He preferred small, unobtrusive cameras, and he loved a quiet shutter. Candid photographs were his hallmark, and he strived to shoot quickly and accurately. He shot only in available light, and never used flash or strobe. His mastery of light, shadow, and depth of field was complete. He was known for referring to the camera as “an extension of the eye.”

Cartier-Bresson had a rare gift. He could tell an entire story, communicate its entire meaning, its very essence in astounding depth, with one perfect picture. Many news photographers consider him a pioneer in the field of photojournalism, and he did much to advance photography as an art form as well. His show, “The Decisive Moment”, was the first exhibit of photography to be hung in the Louvre.

If you’ve not seen his work, I urge you to browse the web, or better yet, check your local library for his books. This is photography as it was meant to be done.