Prospero | A humanist behind the lens

Robert Doisneau, shy street photographer

The much-loved Doisneau was torn between raw street photography and the desire to make his subjects look beautiful

By N.S. | BERLIN

THE first photo Robert Doisneau (1912-1994) ever shot was a pile of cobblestones, in 1928, when the French photographer was just 16. Such was the humble beginning of a “humanist photographer”: one who initially preferred to shoot objects because he was too shy to shoot people.

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