Sunday, July 26, 2009

174 Calories: The Decisive Moment



So I decided today, instead of going to a $15 hatha yoga class, to walk for one hour, which expends the same number of calories. And further more, in my true obscessive compulsive behavior, I would take one picture (iphone) depicting the "decisive moment" of my walk (I actually made two exposures...I can not tell a lie). Oh yes I can... tell a lie, that is.

Anyway, I found this great trail blocks from my house that goes along a creek. A major discovery.

Also saw a squished dead frog on the street... but the decisive moment had passed so I could not take a picture.

Here's from Wikopedia (don't laugh) on Bresson's Decisive Moment:

In 1952, Cartier-Bresson published his book Images à la sauvette, whose English edition was titled The Decisive Moment. It included a portfolio of 126 of his photos from the East and the West. The book's cover was drawn by Henri Matisse. For his 4,500-word philosophical preface, Cartier-Bresson took his keynote text from the 17th century Cardinal de Retz: "Il n'y a rien dans ce monde qui n'ait un moment decisif" ("There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment"). Cartier-Bresson applied this to his photographic style. He said: " "Photographier: c'est dans un même instant et en une fraction de seconde reconnaître un fait et l'organisation rigoureuse de formes perçues visuellement qui expriment et signifient ce fait."[citation needed]

Here's a translation from WebMonkey: Photography: it is in the same moment and in a split second to recognize a fact and the rigorous organization of visually perceived forms that express and signify this fact.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

One man's decisive moment is another's, let's ignore this. H.

Who's in the world?

Xiushan said, "What can you do about the world?" Dizang said, "What do you call the world?"