Leica LTM Did HCBresson Always Shoot with a Leica?

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
In the infamous series of pix David Douglas Duncan published of HC-B in the book Faceless, there was a Minilux on the table, presumably HC-B's since DDD was shooting with whatever he had at hand.

Of course, by that point, the legend linking HC-B and Leica was well established and probably self-perpetuating. All camera companies are savvy enough to do whatever then can to get their product into the hands of 'star' photographers knowing that it creates good publicity.

I think we all know, or should know, that we make the pix, not the camera. For some of us, it's just fun (and likely a distraction) to talk about the tools of the trade :rolleyes:
 

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In the Peter Galassi curator's essay in MOMA's most recent HC-B exhibition book, Galassi states that HC-B used 6x6 (a borrowed Rollei, I think) early in his career, and that while he was on magazine assignments in the Magnum days, primarily for Life, photo editors sometimes successfully pressured him into using medium format folders. Some of the photos in the exhibition and in the book were identified as having been shot with the Rollei.
 
Going beyond brands, it seems clear that HC-B's preference was for 'miniature' (as 35mm was called in the olde days) cameras that allowed him to travel light, shoot quickly while attracting little or no attention. Watch film of him at work -- he wanders along seeming both nonchalant and alert at the same time. Suddenly an image is made and the wandering resumes.

This economy of motion seems common among those who have mastered their craft. Film of Picasso reveals how he could create instantly recognizable forms with very few strokes of a brush. I had a coworker who was a brilliant programmer. While editing someone else's code he scrolled through a number of pages, shook his head, deleted hundreds of lines and substituted a few of his own -- which improved performance and made future edits much easier.
 
He also used an M6, fitted with a collapsible Summicron 50mm.

Erik.

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the tool that mattered most was the brain-eye combination. works that way for us lesser mortals, too. still, that brassed cron looks pretty cool. proves, I think, practice makes good if not perfect. moral of the story for me: if you want to be like HCB, don't worry about your gear; just make more images. if your gear doesn't start to show signs of wear and tear, maybe you're not using it often enough.
 
Kino Glaz said:
i think that's exactly the point. to ram the illusion that leica was an essential component to Cartier-Bresson's work.

on the other hand, it's also incorrect to assume that he had a really low regard to the camera type used. dismissing it as 'just a tool'. just like any artist or creator, Cartier-Bresson likely had a favorite tool too. one he preferred over anything else because it fit his hand and intents perfectly. and it appears that it was the Barnack-types over anything else.
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I definitely would disagree that HCB considers his camera "only a tool" (my own phrasing). In contrast, in his writings, he refers to "the Leica" as though it is a revered means to art.
 
That Summicron looks like an original black one that has at some point worn out it's original helicoid, and got a transplant from a chrome lens.
 
HC-B's response

HC-B's response

I wonder if HC-B would find this thread amusing?

Have to ask him the next time I see him.

;)
 
I saw him using a Nikon F4 with a 300mm lens in Central Park NYC. He was using white bread to lure birds into an area so he could photograph them.
 
Who cares? He also randomly stuck his cameras around corners and through fences and shot without seeing what was on the other side (see photo of man leaping across puddle)... I don't think the tool had anything to do with this.
 
jsrockit said:
We should all be so lucky so many times... :rolleyes:
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I am not saying he was all luck my man. Surely not. He is the best ever. I am just trying to quell the gear-craziness associated with the guy. Sarcasm will get you nowhere without proper interpretation
 
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I'd heard he shot only with a 50mm, but I guess that's just another legend...the story was that he also printed everything full frame, no cropping, but if you've ever seen the negative for the "Behind the Gare St. Lazaire"shot, you know this isn't exactly true. Nice to know that even HE had to crop sometime to get a shot to look the way he wanted....
 
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