Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/03/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> -----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 - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html