The street is a theater, admission free. Our clothing, faces, and gestures tell the stories of our lives—as individuals and as members of communities. The handheld camera—nearly as quick as the eye—is an ideal tool for observing the spectacle.

Cartier-Bresson’s talent stood on two legs—one photographic, one human. He was exceptionally good at anticipating how the world would be transformed as it passed through the lens into the image. And wherever he found himself—among peasants or kings, saints or villains—he was quick to grasp who was who and what was what.