CLASSICS

In Henri Cartier’s photograph, Allee du Prado, Marseilles, a middle-aged man stands on a path lined by trees. Since it’s a dreary, wet day, he sports a hat, a long black coat, and an umbrella. He is looking to his left. Fast forward. I was walking in Montreal on a similar damp, drizzly morning. The streets were empty at this early hour, until a man of similar age wearing a black coat came walking down the parallel sidewalk. I walked faster to keep up with him. Soon, he began to cross the street, then stopped, and looked left. Instantly, I knew this was my Cartier-Bresson decisive moment. Pressing the shutter felt just right. 

The picture did not disappoint. Subsequently, I found at least half a dozen of my other pictures that matched Cartier-Bresson’s, both in theme and composition. These were taken before I had even heard of him. Paul Strand, Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, Robert Frank, Vivian Maier, Gary Winograd, Martin Parr, Saul Leiter, Alex Web – these all feel like kinfolk, and you’ll see hints of these masters in my work.