Robert Doisneau was a French photographer who used a Leica in the streets of Paris
Doisneau's style was very simple and spontaneous which is what may be the most inspiring aspect of his career as a photographer. Take the picture above for example, behind the two children is what looks like the bottom of the Eiffel Tower; the renowned landmark that symbolises Paris makes it clear where the picture was taken and adds a sense of proportion. The sharp outline of the children, completely unaware of the camera, contrasts with the faded background of the Tower.
Le baiser de l'Hotel de Ville is perhaps the most famous photo Doisneau has taken and is often thought to have been the reason people connect young love with Paris. This single photograph shows the spontaneous aspect of his work and is the reason he was offered a place in Paris' Vogue Photography team, a proposal which he denied because of his love for street photography.
Although Robert Doisneau's photos were taken in black and white they hold a reality that is hard to come across in photography today. The sheer liveliness of each of his photos is shown through the people in them, how unaware they are of the camera which makes up a lot of the beauty in each image. In photography today we manipulate the pictures we take to make them become something entirely different, saturating colours and covering blemishes until the end product can only be described as fake. The shots taken by this inspirational photographer show the honest portrayal of Paris and don't even need colour to bring them to life. This is what I admire the most about Robert's work.
Yours eternally,
Nezi
xoxo
Disclaimer: None of the photos above belong to me, they are taken by a professional photographer, I claim no rights to them
