HCB's Decisive Moment book online

[rokkstar]

I've never seen the Decisive moment book that H C-B published and I hear that it's hard to get hold of now that it's out of print. No one wants to part with their copy.
So I found this which is an online version, every page scanned - excellent viewing.
http://e-photobooks.com/cartier-bresson/decisive-moment.html

It's interesting to see what shots he included in there, shots he regarded as catpuring 'The Decisive Moment'. There are some I wouldn't have thought qualified but then it just goes to show the individual interpretation of people.

Cheers

[JordanP]

an excellent point in the midst of voting. I'd say we will see some pretty harsh marks because the voter just can't see or understand where the photographer was comming from.

Mind you in the past it seems to me the best images - theme and quality - seem to find there way to the top

[genji]

wow, great find! thanks

[leek]

A very good find Matt...

Shame you didn't find it earlier as it may have helped us achieve better alignment on the meaning of the theme...

Many of HCB's photos don't feature a moment as the subject of the photo...

[Link]

Thanks for the link, it's great to find a version of this book on the web for research. However, IMHO, the title of the book "decisive moment" is misleading because the majority of pictures in this book are simply not decisive moments. Honestly, I'm not sure HCB would have won our d70forum competition...

The one picture that often features as the HCB's decisive moment par excellence is the one on p.26 of the book - definitely worth a look, as well as his fantastic portraits.

Link.

[rokkstar]

However, IMHO, the title of the book "decisive moment" is misleading because the majority of pictures in this book are simply not decisive moments. Honestly, I'm not sure HCB would have won our d70forum competition...

But this is exactly the point isn't it. The man who coined the term and created what is widely regarded as the definitive guide to 'The Decisive Moment' is here according to you compiling a book of decidely Undecisive moments. Whereas to me, I would rank some, if not a large majority as extremely decisive.

Tricky dicky subject.

[leek]

I think that HCB's book title was inspired by the fact that the photos were taken at a point that was the decisive moment, the point that reflected the subject in the best way or captured an event or scene that couldn't be captured again...

His decisive moment was the moment that he pressed the shutter...

The photos themselves did not need to include a decisive moment as a subject.

Most of the competition entrants have interpreted the theme more literally and included a moment that is decisive in their photo...

That said - there are no rights and wrongs in this... The theme was open to interpretation...

[MCWB]

Tricky dicky subject.

You can say that again, a very challenging theme indeed, both in its interpretation and application! My view on the 'decisive moment' was capturing something in the middle of it happening such that you know what's going to happen next; a 'point of no return' perhaps. The photo on p26 was my inspiration for this. It is very interesting to see everyone's different interpretations though, I guess that's why it's art!

[Link]

The man who coined the term and created what is widely regarded as the definitive guide to 'The Decisive Moment' is here according to you compiling a book of decidely Undecisive moments.

Exactly!

Of course it's open to different interpretations, but if HCB himself thought this book was a collection of decisive moments, I would be happy to disagree with his interpretation.

I don't deny he did a lot to 'conceptualise' the idea of decisive moment in photography but I actually wonder if he didn't coin the term while looking at his buddy's photos (Capa's image showing a republican Spanish soldier hit by a bullet).

Link.

[rjlhughes]

I may be missing something here but Henri's 'Moment' was when the design came together, rather than when someone made a decision, I would have thought.

He may also be capturing people in personal moments (of small decision perhaps), too.

I'm befuddled by the suggestion that he wouldn't have won the competition here.

I can only guess that its because he was born too early to have got his hands on a D70, which you need to shoot on.

I don't much like the look of that little fiddly camera he's pictured with in the book.

Can you imagine how good his shots would have been with VR and IS?

I guess that's your challenge!!


(Good book - thanks for posting)

[Sheetshooter]

A very telling thread.

[rokkstar]

I may be missing something here but Henri's 'Moment' was when the design came together, rather than when someone made a decision, I would have thought.

He may also be capturing people in personal moments (of small decision perhaps), too.

I'm befuddled by the suggestion that he wouldn't have won the competition here.

I can only guess that its because he was born too early to have got his hands on a D70, which you need to shoot on.

I don't much like the look of that little fiddly camera he's pictured with in the book.

Can you imagine how good his shots would have been with VR and IS?

I guess that's your challenge!!


(Good book - thanks for posting)

My thoughts exactly.
I agree that Bressons moment was when the design and elements were just right, a splitsecond moment in time that once captured would not be repeated.
As far as I know, HCB was the inspiration for this challenge theme and therefore I think should he have entered he would stand a chance of winning.
However, I think that perhaps VR and IS would have detracted from what it was he was aiming for. The snapshot aspect of it, his "taking pictures on the run" so to speak are what his moment was all about.

THe controversy that this theme has thrown up is absolutely fascinating.

[sirhc55]

Please remember that the title of the book was not Bresson’s choice but that of the American publishers

[MCWB]

Indeed Chris. 'Images a la Sauvette' is the title in French, which is difficult to translate... maybe Street Snaps or "Hot" Images (as in stolen) would be a better translation.

[sirhc55]

Indeed Chris. 'Images a la Sauvette' is the title in French, which is difficult to translate... maybe Street Snaps or "Hot" Images (as in stolen) would be a better translation.

Stolen images would certainly be a fitting title - trust the people on the other side to come up with a title more in-line with advertising rather than subject matter

[leek]

Stolen images is a pretty good approximation of where my mind was for this competition...

[radar]

Indeed Chris. 'Images a la Sauvette' is the title in French, which is difficult to translate... maybe Street Snaps or "Hot" Images (as in stolen) would be a better translation.

There are a few meanings to à la sauvette, certainly, there is one meaning that does imply stolen but probably more so illegal would be a better term.

It can also mean "in a hurry", so Photos in a hurry or quick to escape, in a suspicious manner.

So lots of different meaning, even in French. No wonder it was hard to get a decisive moment

Au revoir ,

André

[rokkstar]

Hmm, a very good point there.

[dooda]

I remember debating this when the theme was first announced. There was an article that talked about the decisive moment, the article talked about getting the moment this and that and eventually said, it's basically when you trigger the shutter, that's when you have your decisive moment, in which case a sunset is a decisive moment because you've waited until the design comes together. I don't recall we ever figured that out.

However it was revealed that anyone living outside of Aussie wasn't able to accept the prize so I let it drop.

[birddog114]

However it was revealed that anyone living outside of Aussie wasn't able to accept the prize so I let it drop.

Not true!
You will receive your winning prize if you're happy to come to the AW.
Did we say that?

[radar]

You will receive your winning prize if you're happy to come to the AW.
Did we say that?

It was mentioned in the rules for the comp that:

Prizes for this comp are generously donated by forum patron Birddog114. Prized will only be awarded to Austrailian residents with the exception that overseas residents will be eligable for the prize if and only if they are present at the Dinner on the 6th of August.

So anybody could take part, but they had to be here to collect their prize.

Cheers,

André

[Mal]

This thread is really amazing. I think that I will have to go back and look at my votes.

All I can say is that I am glad that we are all made different, and see things through our lens differently to others!

Imagine how boring it would be if we all saw the same thing!