Robert Doisneu was born on the 14th April 1912 in Gentilly, France, and died aged 81 on the 1st April 1994. Unfortunately, both of his parents died by the time he was 7, and Doisneau was left in the care of an unloving aunt. This misfortune did not have a negative effect on his creativity, as he went on to become one of the greatest photographers of all time. Aged 16, he started amateur photography but was so shy that he chose to photograph the cobble stones of the Parisian streets, instead of the buzzing street life and people that later appeared in his work.
In 1930, Doisneau became one of the first photographers to use a Lecia film camera, and alongside Henri Cartier-Bresson, brought photojournalism to life. Despite trying his hand at different areas of photography, such as work for French Vogue magazine and Post-war photography, Doisneau ended up where he started: photographing the people and the atmosphere of Paris.
"The marvels of daily life are so exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street." Robert Doisneau
His most famous piece, taken in 1950, is Le baiser de l'hôtel de ville (Kiss by the Town Hall). The piece shows a young couple sharing an intimate moment with a kiss. This photograph became internationally famous and was an inspiration for young love around Paris. The added excitement of the mystery of the couple ended in 1992 when French couple Jean and Denise Lavergne believed it to be them, and took Doisneau to court for taking their photograph without their permission. This lead to Doisneau revealing that he had staged the photograph and asked actor and actress (and couple) Françoise Delbart and Jacques Carteaud to kiss in front of a busy cafe. This meant that Doisneau won the case but the mystery was lost.
As it is Doisneau's birthday today, Google have honored his work by producing a "Google Doodle", comprising of a collage of his photographs. This is shown on the search engine's home page to remember one of the world's great photographers and an inspiration to many.