Has the decisive moment passed?

[RichC]

Cartier-Bresson is back – but his decisive moment has passed... http://gu.com/p/44dzc/stw

Another Guardian article. What do you think?

Personally, I feel Cartier-Bresson had a huge impact on photography, helping to establish the dominance of objective photojournalism and also a certain style of photography that borrowed from classical painting in which the picture shows the viewer a moment that captures the essence of a story.

But his time has passed, and photography has moved on, its concerns focused elsewhere. More relevant Magnum photodocumentary photographers are Alec Soth, Mark Power and Trent Parke, to name three at random.

However, many photographers fail to understand Cartier-Bresson's photographs. Most street photographers, including those on RFF, don't get the decisive moment.

Instead, we are shown pictures of the indecisive moment.

Cartier-Bresson's decisive moment is not the moment of high drama - as in "sudden" and "striking". Most so-called "decisive moments" in photography are braggadocio, pictures of the photographer's ego - "admire my skill, my eye, my timing" - with little else to say. Cartier-Bresson would doubtless mutter "non" to these.

Writing can recount an event in its entirety, but a picture has only one frame, a slice of an event. Cartier-Bresson wanted his pictures to tell stories, so he was always careful to freeze time at a crucial point. In painting, this is Diderot’s instant, Lessing’s "pregnant moment".

Imagine a couple kissing. Too many photographers would capture them embracing, lips interlocking – the kiss itself. That is not what Cartier-Bresson would do. That is not the decisive moment, as it is fails to unfold the story for the viewer (inasmuch as a single frame can). Cartier-Bresson would instead picture them a moment before the kiss, eyes locked on each other, lips parted, not quite touching - telling us far more about their passion than the kiss itself. Or he'd capture the moment after - their longing and desperation apparent as they part.

In Cartier-Bresson's own words from his 1952 book "The Decisive Moment" (note my emphasis):

"I craved to seize, in the confines of one single photograph, the whole essence of some situation that was in the process of unrolling itself before my eyes."

 

[Richard G]

I can't see that the decisive moment has passed at all. The emotions evoked by his pictures have not changed. O'Hagan's contention that HC-B's photographs were too carefully composed doesn't ring true to me. He was using a rangefinder, often with an external finder, off a tripod. Images a la sauvette is exactly to the point. The seemingly careful composition was the result of his skill and volume of experience which allowed him to see those compositions so quickly. I don't agree that so many photographs of Cartier-Bresson in "The Decisive Moment" are now of a time past in photography, with only an historical relevance.

 

[Michael Markey]

"Objective" photojournalism .
I don`t think you could accuse him or any of the Magnum crowd of that.

 

[RichC]

"Objective" photojournalism .
I don`t think you could accuse him or any of the Magnum crowd of that.

OK. Fair enough. Read "the dominance of photojournalism" for "the dominance of objective photojournalism".

 

[noimmunity]

Perhaps a fruitful distinction could be made between Capa and Cartier-Bresson.

Today both story-telling and spectatorship have changed.

HCB's vision was deeply invested in many of the assumptions of his day, particularly those related to the individual and society.

 

[Michael Markey]

Yes ...thats how I read it.

Most of the Magnum crowd including Bresson were of the left and took their pictures (at least during the Spanish Civil War) for left wing publications.

Objectivity wasn`t part of the brief.

Whilst I greatly admire their output their myopia is clear enough.

For example it took the outside world to report the looting and desecration of churches by the Republicans .
It was only at that point that Chim Seymour was drafted in for a few staged shots of Republican soldiers attending services for fear of loosing the support of the population.

Don`t misunderstand me I admire their work and Bresson`s book is , I think, still relevant on some level today.

I`m happy with my copy.

 

[Keith]

Whatever you say about HCB, in my opinion, he is one of the most immitatated and plagiarized photographers there has ever been!

 

[JP Owens]

I have to agree with noimmunity. We tend to view all history, including photography from the past, through our 21st century culture clouded eyes. Bresson was a man of his time, shooting photos for his time. Despite that, he has influenced photographers for decades.

 

[Michael Markey]

HCB's vision was deeply invested in many of the assumptions of his day, particularly those related to the individual and society.

Any reading of Bressons life shows a very confused and contradicted individual.

True for many of us but my impression from the literature is that the inner conflicts for him were of a more profound nature.

 

[Sparrow]

"Objective" photojournalism .
I don`t think you could accuse him or any of the Magnum crowd of that.

... at the time they were a counterbalance though weren't they?

 

[V-12]

It is true that the 'decisive moment for many has become the indecisive moment, street pictures of just people walking about seem to satisfy many photographers limited understanding of what Bresson was about. And in Bresson's day slower film and cruder cameras meant the considerations within the overall envelope of what the photograph was intended to be had to go a little further than it should simply be in focus and it should be blur free. A little leeway was needed. But now the considerations of many photographers (including those who are in the 'people walking about' school, but not exclusively so) are expressed by sharpness and focus at the detriment of the photograph being interesting.

But this doesn't mean the decisive moment is lost to contemporary photography, all we are seeing (via the internet) are far more people getting it wrong or watering down Bresson's high standards to make it easier. There were a lot of photographers who took over Bresson's principles and they aren't all dead yet or failing to influence even younger photographers, so no need for despair.

V

 

[Sparrow]

Yes ...thats how I read it.

Most of the Magnum crowd including Bresson were of the left and took their pictures (at least during the Spanish Civil War) for left wing publications.

Objectivity wasn`t part of the brief.

Whilst I greatly admire their output their myopia is clear enough.

For example it took the outside world to report the looting and desecration of churches by the Republicans .
It was only at that point that Chim Seymour was drafted in for a few staged shots of Republican soldiers attending services for fear of loosing the support of the population.

Don`t misunderstand me I admire their work and Bresson`s book is , I think, still relevant on some level today.

I`m happy with my copy.

.... the Spanish civil war was so barbaric on both sides a few photos made little difference in Spain itself. I've been reading about the war over the last couple of years as I had a great uncle involved in it, and while I normally have quite a strong stomach I've found myself having to take breaks in my reading to cope with the anger and distress even dry historyies caused

It was a war left over from the Reformation or Middle Ages ... not a modern war

 

[jsrockit]

Whatever you say about HCB, in my opinion, he is one of the most immitatated and plagiarized photographers there has ever been!

Exactly... his style of photography is simply part of the language of photography at this point. That said, there are many other ways to photograph besides a "decisive moment" style.

 

[Michael Markey]

... at the time they were a counterbalance though weren't they?

Were they ... in journalistic terms ?
I was unaware of that .

I guess that its difficult to remain objective in the face of so much horror but I guess that was my point.

 

[jsrockit]

I would say the writer of the article is way off...and not only about HCB. Pisses me off really... no respect for history once again.

 

[Sparrow]

Were they ... in journalistic terms ?
I was unaware of that .

I guess that its difficult to remain objective in the face of so much horror but I guess that was my point.

... the state or it's establishments controlled all of the worlds media, it wasn't until the thirties the newspapers could offer an alternative, and even that was very much a right-wing alternative

 

[John E Earley]

It is true that the 'decisive moment for many has become the indecisive moment, street pictures of just people walking about seem to satisfy many photographers limited understanding of what Bresson was about. And in Bresson's day slower film and cruder cameras meant the considerations within the overall envelope of what the photograph was intended to be had to go a little further than it should simply be in focus and it should be blur free. A little leeway was needed. But now the considerations of many photographers (including those who are in the 'people walking about' school, but not exclusively so) are expressed by sharpness and focus at the detriment of the photograph being interesting.

But this doesn't mean the decisive moment is lost to contemporary photography, all we are seeing (via the internet) are far more people getting it wrong or watering down Bresson's high standards to make it easier. There were a lot of photographers who took over Bresson's principles and they aren't all dead yet or failing to influence even younger photographers, so no need for despair.

V

Yes, for the most part, the "decisive moment" has devolved into "people just walking about."

 

[newsgrunt]

... at the time they were a counterbalance though weren't they?

and much photojournalism still is to this day, especially with governments and corporations using massive spin machines to get 'their' message across. Look at the ads and pr, oil companies (tar sands in Alberta for example) use and we have photographers looking beyond the manufactured image.

 

[gb hill]

I saw the exhibit in Atlanta. To me, his photo's had more of a historical impact than anything else. They were the "decisive moment" through his eyes. The decisive moment is simply the instance I frame the subject & press the shutter. What we view to photograph is different for each individual. To try & imitate any well known photographer, you are only robbing yourself from the person you are & personality as a photographer. His book coming out is only about him & what he saw as a photographer in his time of life. We must document our time so move on with it.

 

[back alley]

Has the decisive moment passed?

i can only say that i'm pretty sure that my moment has passed...