%2BRENE%2BBURRI%C2%B4S%2BLEICA%2BM3%2BCHROME%2BWITH%2BSUMMICRON%2B50%2BMM%2BF2%2C%2BONE%2BOF%2BTHE%2BCAMERAS%2BHE%2BUSED%2BTO%2BPHOTOGRAPH%2BCHE%2BGUEVARA.%2BPhoto%2BJos%C3%A9%2BManuel%2BSerrano%2BEsparza.JPG)
The Leica M3 camera Number 984743 with Summicron-M 50 mm f/2 Number 1708377, one of the cameras with which René Burri made his well-known photograph of Ernesto Che Guevara.
After a three
years stage as a documentary maker with Bolex H-16 movie camera between 1953 and 1955, his
profesional career as a photographer began in mid fifties, travelling between
1956 and 1959 to Germany, Turkey, Egipt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Italy, France, Spain, Greece,
Brazil and Japan as a Magnum photojournalist, publishing reportages in the
magazines Camera, Du, Life, Look, Paris-Match, Epoca, Sunday Times and the New
York Times.
Number of July 1956 of the mythical Swiss magazine of photography Camera. The editorial committee made up by (Mme A. Bucher (Editor), Romeo Martínez (Editor-in-Chief), H. Freytag (Technical Editor) and E.M.Buhrer (Artistic Director) became impressed when watching a choice of René Burri´s black and white pictures on baryta paper and decided to include nothing less than ten pages with images and texts about its emerging photographic yield, something unprecedented in the history of photojournalism, since René Burri was only 23 years old.
This number of Camera (which also featured a top-notch reportage by Inge Morath titled People of Spain) meant a huge international success that made Romeo Martínez ( a remarkable expert on art and history of photography) decide the creation of three separate editions of the magazine (in English, French and German - it had been a trilingual publication until then - ), inaugurating a new period of even more prosperity for this really reference-class photography illustrated magazine, distributed in 24 countries.
Pages 302 and 303 with two of the seven pictures by René Burri included in the July 1956 number of Camera magazine. They are two images belonging to his famous reportage made at the Zurich-Morgenthal School for Deaf-Mute Children, whose publication in Life magazine a year before with the title Touch of Music for the Deaf opened the doors of Magnum for him.
© René Burri / Magnum Photos
Exhibition of International Architecture Interbau of Berlin in 1957. It can be seen an apparent conceptual influence of the photographic Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) of twenties embodied by Albert Renger-Patzsch, which was conveyed to René Burri by his teacher Hans Finsler, a great specialist in graphic art and the creation of visual relationships and discerning of lines to order the chaos.
A man featuring a solid artistic background, René Burri studied at the School of Applied Arts of Zurich (Switzerland) from 1949 to 1953, being taught by Hans Finsler, Alfred Willimann and Johannes Itten, with whom he broadened his knowledge on painting, lighting and composition, the latter being a side he would progressively foster since 1954, year in which he started to use 35 mm rangefinder Leica cameras (a Leica IIIF, as well as working as Ernst A. Heiniger´s assistant cameraman in a film about Switzerland commisioned by Walt Disney Studios, a stint that would last until the following year), building up his friendship with the genius Werner Bischof, through whom he made contact with Magnum in 1955 (after the publication of a top-notch reportage by Burri on the teaching to deaf-mute people, published in the French magazine Science & Vie), where René Burri´s picture brought about a substantial impact, specially in David Seymour Chim, who quickly realized his immense gift, getting him a lot of assignments during his first year in Magnum in 1956 until his death on November 10, 1956, and from then on, Henri Cartier-Bresson became his main mentor and great teacher, influencing him during the second half of fifties, though Burri developed his own style from early sixties.
This number of Camera (which also featured a top-notch reportage by Inge Morath titled People of Spain) meant a huge international success that made Romeo Martínez ( a remarkable expert on art and history of photography) decide the creation of three separate editions of the magazine (in English, French and German - it had been a trilingual publication until then - ), inaugurating a new period of even more prosperity for this really reference-class photography illustrated magazine, distributed in 24 countries.
Exhibition of International Architecture Interbau of Berlin in 1957. It can be seen an apparent conceptual influence of the photographic Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) of twenties embodied by Albert Renger-Patzsch, which was conveyed to René Burri by his teacher Hans Finsler, a great specialist in graphic art and the creation of visual relationships and discerning of lines to order the chaos.
A man featuring a solid artistic background, René Burri studied at the School of Applied Arts of Zurich (Switzerland) from 1949 to 1953, being taught by Hans Finsler, Alfred Willimann and Johannes Itten, with whom he broadened his knowledge on painting, lighting and composition, the latter being a side he would progressively foster since 1954, year in which he started to use 35 mm rangefinder Leica cameras (a Leica IIIF, as well as working as Ernst A. Heiniger´s assistant cameraman in a film about Switzerland commisioned by Walt Disney Studios, a stint that would last until the following year), building up his friendship with the genius Werner Bischof, through whom he made contact with Magnum in 1955 (after the publication of a top-notch reportage by Burri on the teaching to deaf-mute people, published in the French magazine Science & Vie), where René Burri´s picture brought about a substantial impact, specially in David Seymour Chim, who quickly realized his immense gift, getting him a lot of assignments during his first year in Magnum in 1956 until his death on November 10, 1956, and from then on, Henri Cartier-Bresson became his main mentor and great teacher, influencing him during the second half of fifties, though Burri developed his own style from early sixties.
Burri´s contact
sheets even endured the exacting review by Henri Cartier-Bresson, getting high
marks. Such was his photographic eye and proficiency in his trade.
© René Burri / Magnum Photos
Kindergarten, Unité d´habitation in Marseille (France), a good instance of René Burri´s versatility as a photographer, not only in the field of portraits and photojournalistic reportages but also in the industrial and architecture realm. Here he masterfully depicted in 1958 Le Corbusier´s building in Marseille, framing it in oustanding synergy with the group of children and their teacher playing by it.
And throughout his career of sixty years as a professional photographer, René Burri has successfully tackled a wide range of subjects and personalities, creating in a consistent and periodic way, week after week, month after month, great images in which aside from his undoubtable talent as a photojournalist, he steadily proved his ability to be in the suitable places at the right moments, an inborn knack for improvisation, a special sense to see the picture (a scope in which he excelled, with an exceptional look able to convey opinion) and get it, which is the most important thing, irrespective of the camera and lens used and the technical aspects of its making.
Kindergarten, Unité d´habitation in Marseille (France), a good instance of René Burri´s versatility as a photographer, not only in the field of portraits and photojournalistic reportages but also in the industrial and architecture realm. Here he masterfully depicted in 1958 Le Corbusier´s building in Marseille, framing it in oustanding synergy with the group of children and their teacher playing by it.
And throughout his career of sixty years as a professional photographer, René Burri has successfully tackled a wide range of subjects and personalities, creating in a consistent and periodic way, week after week, month after month, great images in which aside from his undoubtable talent as a photojournalist, he steadily proved his ability to be in the suitable places at the right moments, an inborn knack for improvisation, a special sense to see the picture (a scope in which he excelled, with an exceptional look able to convey opinion) and get it, which is the most important thing, irrespective of the camera and lens used and the technical aspects of its making.
Burri is a
classic of photography, generator of superb portraits like the ones of Ernesto
Che Guevara, Pablo Picasso, Le Corbusier, Julio Cortázar, Jean Renoir, Alberto Giacometti, etc, but also author of fabulous reportages like Los Gauchos for Du
(the illustrated magazine featuring the highest qualitative level in history
along with Life, Camera, Du and Leica World), his series on The Building of
Brasilia by the architect Oscar Niemeyer in 1960, Die Deutschen in 1962, Sao
Paulo in 1960 (including his famous picture of some men walking on the rooftop
of a skyscraper), etc.
© René Burri / Magnum Photos
Four men on the rooftop of a skyscraper of Sao Paulo (Brazil). 1960. Referring to this image, Burri said: Maybe in a photographer´s career there are only about two, three or four images that remain, and certainly that´s one of them.
And it all made with indescribable levels of humbleness and enthusiasm, because together with his towering category as a photographer, René Burri was a man of great humanity, kind and approachable, most times smiling and albeit he photographed witnessed many of the Twentieth Century conflicts like the Second Arab-Israeli War in 1956, the Vietnam War in mid sixties, the Six-Day War in 1967, the Cambodian War in early seventies, the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the Lebanon War in 1975 and others, he always oozed generosity and hope.
After his consolidation as a professional photographer during the second half of fifties, the beginning of the sixties decade meant for Burri a turning point in his life, making different trips to Korea and Japan, Far East countries in which he lived for many months, evolving as a photojournalist and imbibing the Asiatic philosophy and life concept, enhancing an introspection which would reach its ápex with the fabulous reportaje ZEN published by Du magazine in its number of December 1961, with images made by Burri at the Ryoan-ji Temple (Kyoto), the Zen Garden of the Daitoku-ji Temple (Kyoto) and at the Zen School of Waseda University in Tokyo.
During his long
stays in Japan Burri got to know first hand the deep symbology of bamboo in the
Country of the Rising Sun as a nature being offering practical lessons for life
regarding firmly rooted flexibility, strength of what looks to be weak, steady
readiness for action through training and practice, ability to spring back
after adversity, aperture to the knowledge and wisdom of both nature and people
whose ideas are different to one´s preconceived notions, continuous Kaizen grow
by means of sustained effort, usefulness through simplicity, etc.
In the image on the left can be seen a moment during a Kendo combat with two meter long bamboo swords.
In the image on the right is a Kendo fighter just at the moment of playing the gong, whose sound starts the Kendo training. With great mastery, Burri uses a large diaphragm aperture spotting the focus on Kendo´s pupil face which reveals concentration, rendering the rest of compositive elements out of focus. In the background on the left can be glimpsed another Kendo pupil who has just begun his combat.
.jpg)
On the other hand, the coverage of the situation in South Korea in 1961, in the areas near Panmunjon, shortly after the seize of power by general Parl-Chung-hee through a coup d´etat was also important in Burri´s evolution as a professional photographer.
© René Burri / Magnum Photos
Great photograph
of Korean women entertaining American soldiers in Tae Song Dong (South Korea)
made by René Burri in 1961 with his Leica M3 and Leitz Canada Summicron-M 35 mm f/2 SAMWO shooting at f/4 and 1/30 sec. A vivid example of a
photojournalist highest aspiration: to become invisible in the thick of the
action, going unnoticed and getting the picture. It can be clearly seen in the
image the great prowess and mental strength of Burri, who is able to cope with
the pressure and the risk of being seen, choosing the most suitable diaphragm
and speed and above all waiting for the most precise and meaningful moment to
press the shutter release button of his 24 x 36 mm camera.
René Burri has been one of the quickest photographers ever when it came to getting pictures, faithful to his usual statement ´ for me photography is a way of saving something which nobody expected, not even me, but then I was ready just to catch like a fly in the flight ´, to such an extent that rather often he simply let him be surprised.
René Burri has been one of the quickest photographers ever when it came to getting pictures, faithful to his usual statement ´ for me photography is a way of saving something which nobody expected, not even me, but then I was ready just to catch like a fly in the flight ´, to such an extent that rather often he simply let him be surprised.
© Leica Camera AG
René Burri has
been one of the diachronic maestros in the use of 35 mm rangefinder Leica
cameras, whose very small size, low weight, lack of swivelling mirror
enabling a constant vision with no darkening whatsoever at any moment,
accuracy of its rangefinder even in dim light conditions, a vast assortment of
highly luminous primes, exceedingly short shutter lag (time elapsed between the
moment in which the photographer presses the shutter release button and the
beginning of the exposure itself) and rubberized silk curtains of the shutter,
whose sonority is almost imperceptible, make possible to shoot handheld without
any trepidation and with an exceedingly high level of discretion. It all being
particularly strengthened by the expertise and talent of this master of
photography, who turned the rangefinder Leicas (of which Burri used different
models like the analogue IIIF, M2, M3 and MP and the digital M9 and M9-P) into
first-rate photographic tools. In the image is shown Rene Burri´s analogue
Leica MP manufactured in 2003.
Anyway, during the decade of sixties and early seventies, René Burri also used 35 mm reflex cameras like the Nikon F (with Non-Ai Nikkor-O 2.1 cm f/4, Non-Ai Nikkor-O 35 mm f/2, Non-Ai Nikkor-H 85 mm f/1.8 and Non-Ai 10.5 cm f/2.5 Nikkor-P lenses) and the Pentax Spotmatic (specially with the Takumar 135 mm f/2.5 lens).
Within time, he became a rather cosmopolitan photojournalist travelling all over Europe, South America, North America, China, Japan, Korea, India and the Middle East.
Anyway, during the decade of sixties and early seventies, René Burri also used 35 mm reflex cameras like the Nikon F (with Non-Ai Nikkor-O 2.1 cm f/4, Non-Ai Nikkor-O 35 mm f/2, Non-Ai Nikkor-H 85 mm f/1.8 and Non-Ai 10.5 cm f/2.5 Nikkor-P lenses) and the Pentax Spotmatic (specially with the Takumar 135 mm f/2.5 lens).
Aside from being
an exceptional photographer, René Burri was instrumental in the creation of
Magnum Films in 1965, thanks to his vast cinematographic experience using Bolex
H-16 movie camera and Kern Switar lenses, which he had started using in mid
fifties. Here he can be seen during the shooting of the documentary film The
Two Faces of China, produced by the BBC and for which Burri had to stay in the
big Asiatic country for six months.
Burri had a
tremendous passion for cinema along with deep technical knowledge on movie
cameras, and from early sixties became an outstanding expert in the use of two
16 mm models: the Bolex H-16 with Kern Switar fixed lenses and the Eclair NPR
with Angenieux 12-120 mm T2.2 zoom lens.
Within time, he became a rather cosmopolitan photojournalist travelling all over Europe, South America, North America, China, Japan, Korea, India and the Middle East.
Burri documented the progressive development of this urban utopia between 1958 and mid eighties, highlighting the huge dimension of the project and the fulfillment in few years of the achievement of managing to fill the city with inhabitants, turning it into a throbbing with life hub.
René Burri always
stood out through his ability to photograph the most meaningful moments, but
also because in a simultaneous way his images often captured important
historical events.
Among the many
awards bestowed to him are the Dr. Erich Salomon Prize of the German
Photographic Society (DGPh), the Cultural Prize of Zurich Canton in 1999, the Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society in 2006 y el Leica Camera Hall of Fame Award in 2013.
The tremendous social upheavals of this technical era which are mirrored even in music, painting, literature and architecture, have impressed a new " face " on our fellow creatures of today. I regard my task as one of finding this, and conveying some ideas and pictures of it. René Burri. Camera magazine, July 7, 1956, page 324
© Text and Indicated Photographs José Manuel Serrano Esparza
The tremendous social upheavals of this technical era which are mirrored even in music, painting, literature and architecture, have impressed a new " face " on our fellow creatures of today. I regard my task as one of finding this, and conveying some ideas and pictures of it. René Burri. Camera magazine, July 7, 1956, page 324
