Robert Doisneau, French street photographer is best known for the first photograph shown, ‘Kiss in front of the Palace of City Hall’ (1950).
He captures the purse of Parisian life, and his photography perfectly matches to how I imagine to be a Parisian. Probably it won’t be the same if he didn’t take them in Paris. He makes sure there are Paris looks, and he does achieve so by how he combines the landscape and the Parisian. He wrote that his photographs ‘show the world as I would like it to be’. Maybe he created the image of Parisian, or since he is pure Parisian everything made sense.
His photography techniques are spectacular, and he does so by involving the nature, buildings and people. The main subject for most of the photographs are human, but then without the place it will not be the same. He emphasis on the ‘key’ moment, and he successfully captures the right moment when something is happening. It is all about, being in the right place at the right timing.
By looking at all of the above photographs, Doisneau avoids having peoples face looking directly into the camera. He purposely, or possibly naturally has side of the face to make sure it looks candid.
I love how all of the objects matches to its scene. There is nothing that creates juxtaposition, and all the positioning seems to be perfect. Even though it is in black and white, because of the positioning I can visualise how and what it was like to be in the situation.
Probably why he was contracted by Vogue magazine to work as fashion photographer in 1949. Even though he felt uneasy with all the requirements he was given, he successfully puts so much effort when the models were taken in the street of Paris. Being a fashion photographer was probably the best for him as he was able to work for what his hobby was. He knew what would attract the audiences eyes, and because he is a Parisian, he knew how to shoot in Paris.
I tried to follow of Robert Doisneau’s technique by focusing on the cityscape of London and the human. None of the people are facing the camera and I kind of looked for a moment where there will be couples together. In the second one and the forth one, there are couples, and in my opinion I like the forth one, since it catches how the couple are smiling and enjoying the only moment. And the fact that, there are not that focused much.
Like Doisneau, I made it black and white to create an image that it was taken few decades ago, and I think I have manage to do so close enough. Which I am very surprised of.
I like the first one, because it shows how the first one is different from the others, because the first one shows the typical tourist resting at the Oxford Circus station. I can just stare at these photography and never get tired of it.
Knowing the coloured image of these photographs, I think having it black and white creates more emphasis on the cityscape and the human which is probably Doisneau was looking for.
Photography in London 