Photographer: Robert Doisneau

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5 Characteristics of  Robert Doisneau Photographs

1. Humanist Photography

2. Black & White

3. Bold composition

4. Unusual Perspectives & Situations

5. Maverick Elements

 

Describe the Work of the Artist

 

The Reason I chose Robert Doisneau

Robert Doisneau’s works caught my attention because his photograph have very creative and interesting perspective. The materials and techniques Robert Doisneau used also inspired me; he used multiple techniques in his photographs, such as angles, perspectives, human element and everyday life. Doisneau usually captures what people would see if they took the time to appreciate the city and combinations of human nature. He emphasizes the power of photography with our surroundings. His images remind us to slow down, be present, and find beauty in the ordinary.

 

Quotation from Robert Doisneau

“People like my photos because they see in them what they would see if they stopped rushing about and took the time to enjoy the city.”

By saying that people see in his photos what they would see if they took the time to enjoy the city, Doisneau emphasizes the power of photography to capture and convey a sense of presence, mindfulness, and connection to the world around us. His images act as a reminder to slow down, be present, and find beauty in the ordinary. I like this quote because Doisneau usually took photos in  everyday life in often playful and surreal images. Always charmed by his subjects, he enjoyed finding amusing juxtapositions or oddities of human nature.

 

Evaluation

 

•Why did you choose this image in particular?

I chose this photo because row of children crossing the street and with holding each other’s back cloths. This interesting and unique situation caught my attention.

•What do you find surprising or unusual about this photograph?

This photo consists of human nature background of many cars. Those long rectangles are facing forward in all four directions. I found unusual and surprised in a perfectly scattered direction of sculptures, which is very elaborate. It actually seems like reflection from a mirror and create the exact reverse side. 

•Look carefully and choose ONE of the Formal Elements that you think is important in the photograph (E.g. Focus, Light, Line, Repetition, Shape, Texture, Value/Tone).

I think the most significant formal element used in this photo is line and used of repetition.

•Describe why you think it is important. 

I discover that “line” is a significant element in this photo. Because lines make the overall image balanced and separated which makes this photograph more concise and clearful. The background of the picture creates overall balance of this photograph. Every line has the same angle starting from the bottom and until the top. It is zoomed from the bottom of the edge, and gets smaller when it attach the top.

•What do you like about the style? 

I like the style of Robert Doisneau’s photography. Robert Doisneau often uses unique techniques to approach the style of architecture. Geometric patterns in her photographs also make her work more creative and provides many different perspective of the object. I like how she focus more frequently on bold architectural details. He often uses landmark buildings and urban elements in his photographs, rather than sweeping cityscapes. Those unique and detailed elements used in her works made me interested in her photographs. Black and white tone also plays significant role in his photographs, which helps the photo seems in detailed and particular. 

 

3 Techniques I will use for Street Photography

1. Work on scene 

   Don’t just take one photo. When working the scene, don’t just keep your feet planted on the ground. Keep your feet moving. Try different angles.

2. Focus on the background

   The photographer will always create more powerful images if he takes into account. Try a clean background for a more graphical style. Try to shoot at least 10 photographs of people with the simplest backgrounds as possible. When shooting street photography, we do the following: we look for interesting subjects, stick them in the center of the frame, and often forget about the background. What ends up happening is that we have photographed an interesting subject, but the background is totally distracting.

3. Look for things out of place / unusual situations

   When it comes to street photography, nothing is harder to capture than humor. However, Doisneau mastered it in the image above. Robert Doisneau always felt an urge to get out there and explore what was going on in the street. And so it was: he was just wandering around the streets of Paris, finding out new stories, getting acquainted with new unique personalities and capturing all that with his camera.