Although a "staged" photograph, this is perhaps Doisneau's most well-known. Francine Deroudille (Doisneau's daughter) explains: "The picture was taken in the spring 1950. My father's agent had pitched a series on 'The lovers of Paris' to American publications and Life magazine had commissioned it"
At the time, image rights were already protected by law and a cautious Robert Doisneau preferred to use people he knew in some of his commissioned reportage, in order to avoid legal issues. One afternoon in March 1950, Doisneau went out into the streets of Paris with young actor friends and just let them be: they walked, held hands, talked, and kissed, with Doisneau never far behind. "His models weren't models in the sense that they didn't pose. Doisneau was simply catching them flirting and kissing, in a very natural way", says Deroudille
The result, a kiss caught at the corner of rue du Renard and rue de Rivoli right across from the city's town hall, feels like the best of Doisneau: a suspended moment whose beauty is known only to the lovers and the photographer. Around them, indifferent Parisians walk, hardly noticing the young couple.
Here it is colorized and color corrected by me. It loses a lot of it's 'character' in doing. Proof positive that sometimes Black and white photography is the defining format. Juss' sayin'...
of the most celebrated exponents of the Photographie humaniste that swept through the 1950s. Cherished in particular for his soulful portraits of Paris, Doisneau demonstrated a unique ability to find – and perfectly frame – charismatic characters, entertaining episodes, and fleeting moments of humor and affection.
Click on the cover for more information.
Go figure.
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