[Leica] Light and shadows

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (tedgrant at shaw.ca)]

> Steve Barbour: IN ANSWER TO LlUIS:
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Light and shadows
>
> STEVE BARBOUR OFFERED:
> Lluis, Ted, friends of the LUG, my friends,
>
> this phrase used by Lluis is of course from the title of Cartier Bresson's
> famous book. These words have often troubled me,  what is the real meaning
> of this phrase......?
>
> perhaps something like ,     on the fly...    unguarded, unauthorized,
> without permission, spontaneous....   who can really say ?
>
> the title  "Images a la sauvette"    has been translated as "the decisive
> moment",  but this, almost certainly, is at best, a very loose 
> translation,
> possibly a title selected out of commercial motivations, even so it has
> assumed a most profound significance in the world of photography.
>
> Surely we can do better, what does it really mean ?   why? Does it tell us
> something about the way HCB worked ?
>
> Please give me your thoughts on this....The answer to these questions, 
> might
> bring us to the motivations, the methodology of Henri Cartier Bresson, one
> of our most iconic photographers....
> Steve Barbour
 =======================
AND TED SAID:..............

 Hi Steve, Lluis and interested others,

 My feelings ever since I became fascinated with the work of HCB has been
 that he worked from a "visual instinct of the moment." I suppose the
 "Decisive moment" as he has been tagged with lo these many years! I don't
 think a great deal of thought as we see and read these days about "what
 lens, what ISO, ec etec of details when a photographer is about to take a
 picture today."   He saw, "CLICK!" Or faster!

 It's a heart, gut, instinct fashion of shooting. Virtually very little
 thought process as one "click's the shutter release!"  The thought process
 comes after the "CLICK!" As I have written on many occasions, "SEE-CLICK!"
 Don't think............ "SEE-SHOOT!" Basically that's how I re-act to the
 triggering moment! Regardless of subject. Particularly when shooting the
 Olympics and other sporting events. And on many occasions, people and
 moments.

 THE BIOGRAPHY: "Ted Grant: Sixty Years of Legendary Photojournalism."
 The biography about my wicked wicked life as a photojournalist is on the
 market in October. However you can pre-order from AMAZON now and save a
 bunch of money. In this book you hopefully will appreciate my instinct of
 "see-shoot!" when looking at the photography.

 As I feel it, HCB shot from his see-click fashion simply from a re-action
 process of ... "see--click!"

 The "hully-gullies" in the belly of seeing his "decisive moment" was
 appreciated later when viewing the photograph and seeing the moment he
 caught of instant life!! :-) See, keep it simple!

 Anyway that's how I sort of feel it. ..... "SEE-SHOOT!" :-)

 cheers,
 Dr. ted :-)