HCB interview with Charlie Rose [Archive]

ClaremontPhoto

01-19-2008, 13:05

Thank you.

I saw the first five minutes but have no time for more today.

It will be something special to look forward to tomorrow.

Mike Ip

01-19-2008, 13:53

I watched some of it, but had a difficult time understand what HCB was saying. The parts I did understand were good. He seems almost too humbling....

The part where he says something along the lines of "the things that you need to know cannot be taught" was an interesting perspective. I disagree with that, but interesting nonetheless.

ruben

01-19-2008, 15:26

After seeing it all, I find it hard to get an idea about the man. He sounds very evasive.
He looks symphatetic, humble, but basically evasive - something like 'take it or leave it but I cannot describe it in words'

Well, just my opinion.

Cheers,
Ruben

ruben

01-20-2008, 07:47

I have been further thinking about this interview. It seems to me that HCB used to repeat there two constants of his images, the "geometry" and pushing the shutter release at the right momnet, or the evasiveness of the right moment.

No doubt the HCB phenomena must be studied in a critic spirit, like all other masters deserve.

And BTW, at the very begining of the interview with Avedon, a picture is shown for less than a second showing a kind of "X" with small people around. Could anyone link me to that picture. It seems to be great and I never saw it.

Cheers,
Ruben

sirius

01-20-2008, 08:13

Ruben, I agree with you. Those two points define the character of HCB work for me. I would also add that his content was quite unique: he delighted in the humanistic and the surreal.

The interesting thing about photography is that everyone has suspended disbelief. Unlike drawing or painting, they accept that the camera records facts. That's why it is such a wonderful tool to play with perceptions.

jbf

01-20-2008, 08:22

I've seen this video before. Quite interesting really. But as sitemistic says, it is obvious that he is somewhat detached from the photography that he does. He doesnt see it as anything glorious, etc so far as his outward attitude would show.

sirius

01-20-2008, 08:39

He was a very private man who did not give interviews often nor let his photograph be taken. He was quite famous, even in his own lifetime, but avoided the public life. i imagine because his way of working required that he not be obvious or stand-out. I think he loved photography and did it for a career and artistic pursuit all his life. He retired to do his painting and drawing. I think the term "drawing" refers to his early art training and his approach to photography. When Ruben talks about geometry above, he's referring to composition in the classical sense of how painters and artists are trained. HCB displays this very clearly.

telenous

01-20-2008, 08:47

Appearances to the contrary, I think he deeply cared both about photography and his legacy. What looks like indifference must be Gaullic nonchalance. Perhaps old age too.

If you watch footage of Bresson shooting, he is as focused and obsessed as any artist immersed in their work. In fact, he reminds me of Mermelstein (or is it the other way round ;) ) on the street. Anyway, nobody shoots two rolls of film before breakfast, without some obsession about photography.

BTW, Charlie Rose did a series of interviews about photographers including Larry Fink, Richard Avedon, Gordon Parks. Google Charlie Rose + the name of the photographer and it will come up with a result for a youtube video.

sirius

01-20-2008, 09:23

Thanks telenous, i enjoyed watching those.

ruben

01-20-2008, 09:28

Hi Stuart (stuken):

Kindly forgive me for having forgot to thank you about having brought this video to our attention.

No need to say, that if you know of any other of the like related to photography, kindly post the link.

Cheers,
Ruben

ruben

01-20-2008, 09:30

.........BTW, Charlie Rose did a series of interviews about photographers including Larry Fink, Richard Avedon, Gordon Parks. Google Charlie Rose + the name of the photographer and it will come up with a result for a youtube video.

My thanks too telenous !

Cheers,
Ruben

akptc

01-20-2008, 09:33

I watched this on television a while ago and remember that the interviewer's clumsiness and inability to get into a real conversation with the artist made me cringe.

ruben

01-20-2008, 09:51

I watched this on television a while ago and remember that the interviewer's clumsiness and inability to get into a real conversation with the artist made me cringe.

Hi Andy,

There is something in my opinion on what you say. True, the interviewer Charlie Rose, may not be well trained in photography, but he showed to me very well trained as an interviewer.

It was rather HCB reluctance to take clear stands in the field of photography what makes this interview somewhat limited in its scope. But his reluctance to take clear positions doesn't mean at all HCB didn't have them.

If we accept HCB was also a man, we can accept it. He should have his reasons for doing so. Perhaps egoistic reasons, perhaps others.

Cheers,
Ruben

akptc

01-20-2008, 10:33

... It was rather HCB reluctance to take clear stands.......
Cheers,
Ruben That's sort of my point, a good interviewer would have been able to adjust to HCB's personality or mood that day and get him to reveal more of himself. I found Charlie in this case to be overbearing and frankly overwhelming in that interview. I also got a clear impression that HCB’s lack of responsiveness was in large part in reaction to the interviewer’s personality and his way of conducting the interview. A lost opportunity, IMHO.

M like Leica M6

04-29-2008, 11:07

T...a good interviewer would have been able to adjust to HCB's personality or mood that day and get him to reveal more of himself. I found Charlie in this case to be overbearing and frankly overwhelming in that interview. I also got a clear impression that HCB’s lack of responsiveness was in large part in reaction to the interviewer’s personality and his way of conducting the interview. A lost opportunity, IMHO.

Exactly. That was a great chance. Imagine this: You have one frame left on your last roll of film. What do you do with it when you have a chance of that importance? Charlie missed it.

Berliner

04-29-2008, 14:55

M like Leica M6

04-30-2008, 00:58

But 50mm only, no cropping...what genius...I guess you really can't teach that!

Style is the skillful omission of the insignificant.

For example, omission of an arsenal of lenses, finders, cameras - and thoughts about all that.

photovdz

07-26-2008, 16:06

Wow! What a tedious interview!! Mssr. Bresson seems annoyed, preoccupied, cagey, and evasive. Rose seems to become annoyed too, so I agree...Rose could have done better.

But 50mm only, no cropping...what genius...I guess you really can't teach that!

there are photographical evidence of HCB using a biogon (supposedly a 35) on a leica IIIC with an adapter (photography in n° 77 of réponse-photo magazine)... so he sometimes used 35mm too...

But anyway a great man, a great artist...

And a strong individualist... anarchist...

Stephan

NickTrop

07-26-2008, 16:09

It would have been really cool if, during the interview, Charlie Rose and HCB put on singlets and had themselves a good ole fashioned 'rasslin' match.

chambrenoire

07-26-2008, 16:24

Picture of monsieur Cartier-Bresson with a CLE (!)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/umdiaumafoto/24763474/

tmfabian

07-26-2008, 16:39

I found nothing elusive about that interview.
It seems to me that HCB simply enjoyed the moment and adding geometry to create a well composed image of that moment of enjoyment created an image of a moment worth examining for more than the mere moment it existed.
It's a good lesson to live life in a manner in which you simply enjoy the moment no need to rationalize or add extra wordage....
I'm quite happy you posted this, I had never seen that interview before and it was quite refreshing to hear something other than the deeper philosophical impact the artist intended to relay to society bla bla bla kill me now lecture.

35mmdelux

07-26-2008, 17:56

But 50mm only, no cropping...what genius...I guess you really can't teach that!

you said it all man. The rest of us go out with a boatload and never get as much as a t-shirt for our efforts, bah.

35mmdelux

07-26-2008, 18:01

part of the genius is that HCB knew the 50 as an extension of himself.

the foto loaded by chambrenoire suggests HCB was carrying a 40mm (CL) in addition to his 50 that day. WHen shooting in the States HCB said he used a 35mm and on more than one occasion HCB said he liked the 90mm for landscapes (!). Apparently he used more than simply the 50...but it was his favorite.

JohnTF

07-30-2008, 08:23

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4074157481455007235

Worth the watch. Pretty cool.

I happened to catch the original broadcast, quite by accident, and though I purchased the transcript, I wanted to see it again. I remembered it a bit differently, nice to refresh.

Thanks for the post, if you want the transcript, it may be on my old computer, which illustrates some of the weakness of putting things on computers, you never know if you will find them later. :)