1. Robert Doisneau
(1912-1994)
Humorist with a camera

2. “The marvels of daily life are
exciting; no movie director can
arrange the unexpected that you
find in the street.”
-Robert Doisneau

3. About him
 Born in Gentilly in the Val-de-Marne,
France on April 14, 1912.
 He studied engraving at the Ecole
Estienne in Chantilly, but found his
training antiquated and useless upon
graduation.
 He learned photography in the
advertising department of a
pharmaceutical firm. He began
photographing details of objects in
1930.
 He sold his first photo-story to the
Excelsior newspaper in 1932.

4. About him
 He was a camera assistant to the
sculptor Andrei Vigneaux and did
military service prior to taking a job as
an industrial and advertising
photographer for the Renault auto
factory at Billancourt in 1934.
 Fired in 1939, he took up freelance
advertising and postcard photography
to earn his living.
 He was a member of the Resistance
both as a soldier and as a photographer,
using his engraving skills to forge
passports and identification papers. He
photographed the Occupation and
Liberation of Paris.

5. About him
 Immediately after the war he
returned to freelance work for Life and
other leading international magazines.
 Against his inclinations, Doisneau did
high-society and fashion photography
for Paris Vogue from 1948 to 1951.
 In addition to his reportage, he has
photographed many French artists
including Giacometti, Cocteau, Leger,
Braque, and Picasso.
 Robert Doisneau won the Prix Kodak
in 1947.
 He was awarded the Prix Niepce in
1956 and acted as a consultant to Expo
'67, Canada. A short film, Le Paris de
Robert Doisneau, was made in 1973.

6. Style
The Helicopters is a clever illustration
of his spur-of-the- moment style of
photography in which Doisneau would sit
on a street corner and wait. His
personal philosophy was, "wherever you
go, something's about to happen." At
just the right moment, Doisneau
composed this photograph, which
appears as though it was planned
because of the careful balance of
forms in the composition. Doisneau has
also created several interesting
contrasts such as those between
technology and art. Doisneau's The
Helicopters also contains an element of
humor as the helicopters immediately
appear to have just discharged on
Maillol's statue, The Three Nymphs,
found in the gardens of the Louvre.

7. Lovers

8. His most famous photo is “kiss in front of the palace of city hall." This photo has
been reproduced by the millions and is perhaps the most famous french photograph.
It became symbol of young, boisterous love in paris - of course the city most
associated with love.

9. Romantic people always considered, that the photo was made
spontaneous, but actually it was posed. Robert Doisneau made this
photo in 1950, when he worked with photo reportage about French
lovers. The couple at the photo – Fransuaza Brone and her
boyfriend Jack Karto, who posed to the photographer with
pleasure. He met them near the college where they were
studying. Then the photo was forgotten in the library of Life
magazine, and only 30 years later it was founded by a company
that produced posters. From that moment the image became so
popular, that many couples announced, that it were they in the
photo.
But Fransuaza proved that it was she at the photo 40 years later
– she showed the original image, signed by the photographer. She
sold the photo by auction for 155 thousand euro! It was 10 times
more than she expected! She had parted with her boyfriend for a
long time ago, got married and then she was going to start up a
film production company.

10. His most famous photo is “kiss in front of the palace of city hall." This photo has
been reproduced by the millions and is perhaps the most famous french photograph.
It became symbol of young, boisterous love in paris - of course the city most
associated with love.

16. Humour

27. Some of Doisneau's most appealing photographs
are those of French childhood - perhaps the best
ever taken. He took photos on the street as well
as homes and schools. Some were candid. Others
were posed. As he photographed extensively from
the 1930s-50s, his photos record not only the
texture of French, but developing fashion
patterns before, during, and after World War II.
The images provide a wonderful record of the
clothes sworn by children during the period. They
Children

29. Pipi Pigeon

36. Incongruity, Satire and irony

47. Eiffel Tower

48. Distorsion-optique--1965

52. Portraits

57. The Recipe
Doisneau writes of his photography, "In
fact there isn't any recipe - that would
be too easy - but all these images that
are growing old so gracefully were taken
instinctively. I put all my trust in
intuition, which contributes so much
more than rational thought.."

58. He took thousands of photographs striving to capture the pulse of Parisian
life. Doisneau liked nothing better than to walk the streets never knowing
what sights he was to encounter.
Doisneau's work has been enormously influential on many photographers and
film directors. His talent lay in his ability to capture a moment of poignancy,
absurdity or just plain strangeness.
Doisneau's work contained a distinctive sense of humour as well as a deep
empathy for his subjects.
Doisneau was in many ways a shy and unassuming man, rather like his
photography. He lived in the Paris suburb of Montrouge. He died in 1994.

59. Books

63. Reference list:
1. The picture history of photography - by Peter
Pollack
2. Retrospective – by Robert Doisneau
3. Doisneau – by Peter Hamilton
4. Three seconds of eternity – by Robert Doisneau
1. http://www.robertdoisneau.com/ dt. 25.06.09
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Doisneau /dt. 25.06.09
3. http://www.masters-of-
photography.com/D/doisneau/doisneau.html / dt. 25.06.09

64. Presented by-
Ankita Asthana
PGC Photography Design (09-10)
"I've never examined why I make photos. In truth it's a
hopeless struggle against the idea that one will die. It's
something I'm more prepared for, because one shouldn't think
that every action is temporary and momentary. I try
obstinately to stop this time that is passing.“ ---- Robert
Doisneau.