HCB had the Decisive Moment. In fact, I think he patented it. For years no-one in Europe could leap over a puddle, kiss someone, or glance anywhere without Henri popping up and clicking away. I am surprised he did not get shot himself, and not with a Leica, either.
Everyone remembers the phrase," the Decisive Moment ", and then tries to apply it to the last lot of shots they took wandering through hay Street on a Saturday morning - hoping to discover gold. They are lucky if they find iron pyrites...There are pictures of people with bewildered looks and people with shopping bags and people with cameras. In many cases they fit all three criteria. No-one is stepping over a puddle or kissing a nurse. You are lucky to catch someone picking a nose, never mind a flower.
This can become discouraging to the amateur photographer - and the last thing we want to do is discourage them so much that they decide to turn professional. So here are a number of other moments that can be sought after. They will reward the photographer and ensure that the next club competition is a memorable event.
1. The Divisive Moment. Stalk a couple who are shopping on a hot day. Eventually the wife will attempt to force the husband into another shoe shop to try on sandals for an hour and the husband will attempt to force the wife into a council bin. Your DM comes just before the cops arrive. Shoot fast and slip away into the crowd.
2. The Deceptive Moment. Hide your camera in cardboard box - cut a hole for the lens to see out. Put the box in your lap and sit in a fast food restaurant. Take pictures of drunks. This of itself is no achievement - the test of your skill will be to sell prints of these images to the drunks when they wake up.
3. The Decrepit Moment. Take a selfie just after you wake up and post it on the net. Depending upon what you look like it will either go bacterial or viral.
4. The Demented Moment. Crazy people need our sympathy and understanding. Do not harass them with your camera. Instead, hang around the front of Parliament House and shoot the politicians as they come and go. With a camera, I hasten to add...
Remember that all of these images can be captured on film as well as digital - the advantage of the latter is that no matter what the image looks like you can apply enough post-production to create the impression that you meant to do that.
Now that's decisive.
Who she? The decisive Ms. Jane. Making up her mind.
