Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/03/20

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Subject: RE: [Leica] Keepers [was: David Bailey...]
From: BOB KRAMER <BobKramer@COOPERCARRY.com>
Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 17:22:30 -0500

> -----Original Message-----
> From: B. D. Colen [mailto:bdcolen@earthlink.net]
> Subject: RE: [Leica] Keepers [was: David Bailey...]
> 
> Interesting, isn't it,
> that he didn't coin the phrase "The Decisive MomentS," or 
> "The Decisive Five
> Minutes," or the "Decisive Image." It's "THE decisive 
> MOMENT." And it is a
> bit of a crock.

Not a crock at all.  Just a phrase that, to him, summed up what made his art
great.  A frozen moment in time that couldn't swing one way or the other
without losing the essence of the image.  He may have spent several moments
(seconds or minutes, whatever) working a potential image, but in the final
analysis, it is the ONE moment that works... that makes the ONE image a
great photograph.

To me, it seems incredibly jaded to call that "decisive moment" label HCB
chose to describe his art "a bit of a crock".  Unless of course you can
point to some writings of his were it is clear he was trying to bullshit the
rest of us with this label.

As to the average photo fan... I think if one can appreciate HCB's work in
lieu of big-eyed kittens and sunsets at the beach, that already sets you
apart from the photo.net masses.

BK
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Replies: Reply from Guy Bennett <gbennett@lainet.com> (Re: [Leica] Keepers [was: David Bailey...])