THE MOMENT

Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908 – 2004) was a French humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography, and an early user of 35mm film. He pioneered the genre of street photography, and viewed photography as capturing a decisive moment.

Cartier-Bresson clarified the decisive moment philosophy in 1957 in an interview with the Washington Post:

"Photography is not like painting. There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative. Oop! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever."

These days, with photoshopping, digital manipulation, CGI etc, that is probably as extinct as dinosaurs. Even images taken on telephones can be easily manipulated.

I was, hwoever, reminded of the decisive moment by images sent to me by Steve M in an email headed Timing is Everything. 

Steve's pics . . .

Thanks Steve.

Here are some bonus extras . . .