[Leica] Re: Decisive Moment Translated

[Jim Brick <jimbrick@photoaccess.com>]

I believe that the "Decisive Moment" is simply luck. If you stop and think
about it, you see what you want and you press the shutter. By the time your
reflexes react and the mechanics of the camera go off, it is no longer what
you saw. It is a moment later. So when you look at the perfectly timed
photograph, either you had clairvoyance, or the luck gods were with you.

I also believe that, with practice, your luck factor will improve. Call it
a sixth sense or whatever, I believe that you can push the odds in your
favor. Good sports photographers do this all the time.

Some people are masters at this art. I believe that Decisive Moment
clairvoyance has been Ted's forte for a long time.

Jim


At 04:53 PM 9/22/99 +0000, Art Sala wrote:
>This so subjective, but the translation to "decisive" sounds sexy.  Now
>my 2 cents...
>
>My own experience suggests that the decisive moment, i.e., that small
>window of time between when you recognize (anticipate?) the optimum scene
>(or expression)
>of your subject and when you release the shutter.  When you examine the
>final print, you would swear you had decided to release the shutter before
>the picture had even fallen into place; the picture is more interesting
>than you intended.   Hard to put into words...  But I would say definately
>"decisive" on the part of the photographer and "magic" on the part of
>the subject!
>
>Cheers,
>Arturo
>========================================
>
>From: Godfrey DiGiorgi <ramarren@bayarea.net>
>To: Internet Mail::[leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]
>
>Subject: Re: [Leica] Decisive Moment translated
>Date: 9/22/99 12:28 PM
>
>Well, we could discuss this to a degree of absurdity, I guess. 
>
>The "Decisive Moment" could refer to the photographer's intent, not the
>subjects'. "Images hastily" is more idiomatically translated by others
>already as "images on the run" or others.
>
>I've never really thought all that much about the title. HCB seems to
>indicate that he's looking for that moment before a decision is made,
>the
>point of fixing one's mind in a particular direction ... at which point
>"the decisive moment" seems a reasonably good description of the subjects'
>moment, not the photographer's, whereas I feel most people tend to think
>the title is referential to the photographer, not the subject. 
>
>Enough. There are some fine pictures in there. That's what is important.
>Art interpretation I'll leave to those who do it better... Artists rarely
>interpret, they just do.  ;)
>
>Godfrey
>
>On Wed, 22 Sep 1999, Mark Rabiner wrote:
>
>> 
>> > At 05:15 PM 9/21/99 -0700, Godfrey DiGiorgi wrote:
>> > >Altavista's babelfish translator says: "Images hastily".><Snip> 
>> In other words the exact opposite of the Decisive Moment!
>> Mark Rabiner
>>