[Leica] Bull

[bdcolen at earthlink.net (B. D. Colen)]

First off, Tim, I don't believe that HCB called it the ultimate decisive
moment. Second off, it was never called any form of journalism - it's
simply a photo, so there's no question about how it was taken. Third,
HCB was an artist whose Leica was his brush - he painted a picture using
light and shadow, form and contrast, that features a man jumping over a
puddle. Take it or leave it. AND, in terms of decisive moment - the
decisive moment was that when he saw the puddle, saw that people would
try to cross it, and a little light blub when on in his head.....

B. D.

-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org
[mailto:lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of
Tim Atherton
Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2004 11:03 PM
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: RE: [Leica] Bull



> I HAVE seen the contact sheet in question.
> As I recall it was about 18 shots of HCB covering the jumper from a 
> variety of angles as the jumper did different takes.
> Pretty much what I would do in the same situation if the kid was up to
it.
> Not that anyone's asking me.
> Are people looking for some kind of ultimate truth when looking at
HCB's
> prints? I don?t think that is the first thing on their minds.
> Me I'm looking for beauty.

The problem comes when this image is cited as the "ultimate" decisive
moment photograph, caught by the master photographer/photographic
predator prowling the streets of Paris, leica in hand - he happens upon
a gap in the fence by the railway station and as he glances through his
eye takes in the puddle, the poster and with the hand eye brain
coordination of a Zen archer , catching the movement of a pedestrian
from the corner of his eye raises his trusty rangefinder camera, already
prefocussed, correct exposure set and catches forever that one fleeting
moment through the small gap, frozen in a fraction of a second, while
the reality itself passes on and is gone.

The mythology of the picture is often made out to be the coming together
of all those elements, almost mystically, before the cameras lens in an
act of virutosic photogrpahic seeing.

That is what this photograph is so often sold as, when it would appear
to be nothing of the sort. Still an elegant, ephemeral caught vision -
yes, quite beautiful - but of a different sort.

tim

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