The Decisive Moment

[Pyrogallol]

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I was searched for a topic called the "Decisive Moment" but only found a couple of brief entries, so started this one.

 

The only picture I can really be happy with at capturing that moment is this one. I saw the lady on the bike coming into the picture and just had enough time to frame the picture with the flagpole on the left and streetlight on the right, lucky that I was just the right distance away to get them in the picture, though they are on the very edge of the negative, and the lens was focussed at the right distance, and she was just in the right place when the shutter fired.

 

Leica 2f with 50mm f2.8 Elmar, Ilford Delta 100, scanned from a darkroom print.

 

Makes you appreciate HCB's skill, quick eye and quick reactions.

 

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[stuny]

Lovely.

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[earleygallery]

 

Makes you appreciate HCB's skill, quick eye and quick reactions.

 

 

 

The 'decisive moment' is very mis-used IMHO. HCB often shot rapidly, if he was using a digital camera today he'd have it set on continuous frames.

 

One of the exhibitions of his work I saw included contact sheets for most of the famous images, with a circle drawn around the 'decisive moment' shot.

[Michael Hiles]

I like your picture. Good geometry.

[Ko.Fe.]

Cool grandma. But OP gives huge self credit by HCB tag.  

Edited June 30, 2018 by Ko.Fe.

[Pyrogallol]

Cool grandma. But OP gives huge self credit by HCB tag.

 

I was not trying to give myself much credit but without HCB’s status amongst photographers none of us would would be using the concept of “the decisive moment” or talking about it or trying to emulate it and I would probably have waited for the cyclist to move out of the frame before taking the picture as a composition of the buildings etc.

 

I saw the last HCB exhibition a couple of years ago at the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich and was impressed by the quality of the prints.

[Michael Hiles]

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I saw the last HCB exhibition a couple of years ago at the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich and was impressed by the quality of the prints.

 

HCB did not print for most of his career - but he cared about print quality. All original prints I have seen have been excellent. I have seen video clips where he is assessing new prints and discussing with his printer, and his judgements are very subtle. Any suggestion that he was only interested in the moment of making the image is wrong.

Edited June 30, 2018 by Michael Hiles

[Ko.Fe.]

I was not trying to give myself much credit but without HCB’s status amongst photographers none of us would would be using the concept of “the decisive moment” or talking about it or trying to emulate it and I would probably have waited for the cyclist to move out of the frame before taking the picture as a composition of the buildings etc.

I saw the last HCB exhibition a couple of years ago at the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich and was impressed by the quality of the prints.

I have his photo and not only photo books and I watched several interviews and documentaries with him.

 

The problem is what many thinks about "desicive moment" as simply alligment of geometry with moving object.

It is not. Late HCB told what good picture is geometry and something. Yes. Obviously you need to take picture at this moment, but it is not as primitive as geometry within the frame and getting bycyclist in most "make sense place".

No, it is not "decisive moment". Good photo according to late HCB is Geometry and Else. Then asked what is else, HSB answered... The Energy.

[lct]

Yes the decisive moment is a moment that will never come back again sort of. This is the simple way i understand HCB's works, at least, besides composition that was so important to him. Reason why i cannot imagine him shooting continuous frames BTW but i may be wrong.