Oscar Wilde is quoted as saying “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness” and I feel there is no better way of introducing this photograph to the blog.
For my 30th birthday, I was surprised with an impromptu trip to Paris – my first of several. Deep, as I was at the time, in my love of Montparnasse and all the artists who had passed through there – most specifically Henri Cartier-Bresson – I couldn’t wait to pace around the city, Leica in hand, and see what I could see.
I had also a special project in mind. A plan to recreate a favourite of mine from HCB’s archive – a composition of some exceptional symmetry, his photograph of Île de la Cité from 1952. To create an homage of sorts, I walked out to the bridge from where he had taken it, and made my own. An ersatz image to be sure, but I’ve always been rather proud of it.