During some blurry years from 2003 to 2006, I attended The School of Visual Arts, for photography. It was an amazing time in my life. Unfortunately, it caused me to stop blogging and start being an assistant to a fashion photographer who was repped by Avedon’s former agent, and then started a retouching company with said photographer. Too many parties, a few nervous breakdowns, and enough beautiful models to make a man die happy later, and here I am; finally realizing that beauty is usually just skin deep, and doing what I love, designing things. (I’m still an insane fashion fanatic. I openly admit to buying Vogue Italia. I have a mid-90s fashion magazine collection that rivals many.)

During my stint at “Art School,” all the freshmen would usually get really into one of the classic photographers, Avedon, Cindy Sherman, etc. Cartier-Bresson was one of the most referenced. For what he calls “The Decisive Moment.”

“There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative,” he said. “Oop! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever.”

Henri Cartier Bresson

Today I ran across a lego reproduction of one of Bresson’s most infamous photos “Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare.” Pictured side by side below:

The Lego™ rendition is genius. But, the original, is a classic, if not a tale in itself. The photography, is said to have been staged. He still clicked the shutter, but only after many tries. Or so goes the legend.

If that’s true…

Henri wasn’t just a photographer, but an brilliant self-marketer. He created a “brand” around himself. He built upon this idea of “Henri” being in the right place at the right time, all the time. People thought and still do think, he was truly a photographic GENIUS.

Cartier-Bresson knew his audience. He was a masterful photographer, but beyond that, he truly understood what his audience wanted. They wanted to believe in magic and coincidence and fate. He gave it to them. Maybe, even if it was decisively.

[picture of lego guy via clusterflock via coudal]