I used my old Olympus OM – 40 a camera I have had since I was 14 years old for this exercise.

I set the 28mm lens that was on it to the widest aperture f2.8 so that, I could get the most light through and to manual so I could control the shutter speed.

The fastest shutter 1/1000^th of a second. At this speed as you would expect there was barely recognisable flicker of an image.

I then set the shutter at 1/125^th of a second I shot this a few time and there was a fleeting glimpse of an image but I wasn’t really visible clearly – even given the image was not focused.

Increasing the shutter by one stop to 1/60^th didn’t really improve the visible image fro 1/125^th.

Increasing to 1/16^th gave my eye a little chance to make out shapes through the lens (remember as I said the image was focused clearly) I shot this a few time and each time I could sat distinct shapes.

Just as final test I opened to 1/8^th there was a real increase in the visibility of the shapes.

I would say that from this exercise that for me the shortest time my eyes need to recognize a shape as is around 1/20^th or 1/25^th of second.

2. Find a good viewpoint, perhaps fairly high up (an upstairs window might do) where you can see a wide view or panorama. Start by looking at the things closest to you in the foreground. Then pay attention to the details in the middle distance and, finally, the things towards the horizon. Now try and see the whole landscape together, from the foreground to horizon (you can move your eyes). Include the sky in your observation and try to see the whole visual field together, all in movement (there is always some movement). When you’ve got it, raise your camera and take a picture. Add the picture and a description of the process to your learning log.

For this exercise I went to a raised walk way in Mong Kok over looking Fa Yuen street market. I chose this spot as it a place I know well so I could view the scene with fresh eyes.

Concentrating on the foreground I was drawn to the “give way” signs written on the road. But my eyes we drawn into the scene by the market stalls.

The middle distance I was focusing on the market stall although I eyes jumped around a bit to the building on the side. Look toward the horizon I was focused on the sky and shapes in the distance and the tunnel effect given by the building.

Looking at the whole image I have placed the sliver of horizon on the third at taken the shot on a 40mm lens on full frame. Interesting the image is not what my mind saw as I held up the camera and 40mm is fairly close if not slightly wider that what we are told the human eye sees. I my I could see the give signs in the foreground… interesting I guess this shows that it not always possible to capture what we see completely.

As it says in the course, the decisive moment has many lovers and haters, has pushed photography forward or held it back?

In my opinion, it can hold it back because it has lead to snobbery within the Street Photography community. Many see Henri Cartier-Bresson as a god for wants of a better description the pinnacle that we all must achieve. While his work is accomplished and no doubt groundbreaking is we all only shoot like him, photography will never evolve.

What is a decisive moment – it is that moment that the photographer or viewer sees and perfect. How can tell us all what is perfect? Below is an image of mine from last year, which I posted to a local Street Photography Facebook group here in Hong Kong and for the Camera Club annual exhibition of HK in Black & White.

This image cause many divisions with the community mainly was the man walking in the background a distraction – the HCB camp said he should not be there the modern thinkers thy said it showed life with a big city.

I’m not progressing that this is the next work to be hung with HCB work in the V&A just that anything is a decisive moment, and that boundary pushing is what art is. Just look at colour until perhaps Joel Meyerowitz the decisive moment could only be in Black & White now colour is just as prevalent and gives that extra dimension to some images

‘L’amour de court’ (‘Just plain love,’ 2001)

Henri Cartier – Bresson is perhaps one of the most iconic photographers not just of this generation but also in the history of photography. This illustrated by just reading the first paragraph of his Wikipedia page.

“Henri Cartier-Bresson August 22, 1908 – August 3, 2004) was a French photographer considered the master of candid photography, and an early user of 35 mm film. He helped develop street photography, and approvingly cited a notion of the inevitability of a decisive moment, a term adopted as the title for his first major book. His work has influenced many photographers.” (WIKIPEDIA)

Perhaps what we all think of when the talk about Bresson is the phrase the decisive moment; however, after watching “L’amour de court, I feel that there is much more to Bresson’s photography.

“What matters is to look. Most of them don’t…they press the button…” (CARTIER-BRESSON, Henri, 2001)

The above quote stood out for me, as this is something we should remember as photographers – especially in today’s digital age where fire off randomly with little thought for film usage. Bresson’s work shows that it is important to have your eyes open, take in what you see, interpret the scene, to seek meaning in and use that to express your vision.

It is clear that Bresson had an enquiring mind from a very early age, and that grew and developed, over his career, to enable him to create the images he did. He was not taught how to look; it was something that came from within. When asked if you can be taught how to look he said “to learn to look is to go to the Louvre” I understand that to mean you need to take it upon yourself to investigate what others have done, how they saw the world and take that as inspiration to develop yourself. There is not a simple formula to help you understand.

It is his vision and perhaps the influence of Buddhism on him that makes these images so unique. The spiritual nature of Buddhism is hard to feel when you are in the Far East. He states the Far East left a great impression on him, and that come through in how he talks about his images.

What is film says to me the decisive moment is only a small part of what makes a great image, in fact, that is perhaps just the final piece of luck in a longer process as Bresson says:

“It is luck that matters. You have to be receptive to luck” (CARTIER-BRESSON, Henri, 2001)

What makes an image is seeing the scene for it potential or its relevance. Then taking a shot at the right moment,  these factors all just as evident in Bresson’s portraits as well as his photojournalism.

While Bresson had a great love of geometry and composed instinctively us the Golden Ratio that adds to his images; but this does not mean we should all do the same. What I took from this film is that to be like Bresson we need to look, not for a decisive moment but for meaning and then with luck the deceive moment will come along.

Bibliography

CARTIER-BRESSON, Henri. 2001. Henri Cartier-Bresson ‘L’amour de court’. [online]. [Accessed 18 Aug 2015]. Available from World Wide Web: <https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL707C8F898605E0BF>

WIKIPEDIA. Henri Cartier-Bresson. [online]. [Accessed 20 Aug 2015]. Available from World Wide Web: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Cartier-Bresson>

f8 1/10sec

Here I have used a combination of slow shutter and movement – similar to a panning shot. I like here how the riders are relatively sharp, and the background is a mix of blurred wavy lines, which deviates from the standard panning shot and I think represents the chaos in the background on a Vietnamese street scene.

f4 1/13sec

Slow shutter and movement again to create a surreal blurring of a crowd in a station.

FRANCE. Normandy. June 6th, 1944. US troops assault Omaha Beach during the D-Day landings.

Robert Capa

The above image by Robert Capa is referred to in the OCA course notes as an example of an iconic photograph that captures motion blur. It does that without doubt; however, for want of sounding controversial, I often wonder if it was deliberate. Capa was under heavy fire when this image was taken, D-Day wasn’t a pleasant experience, did he actual have time to consider the slow shutter speed or is this just a happy accident?

Robert Frank

Elevator Girl by Robert Frank Linked image http://www.npr.org/2009/08/30/112389032/robert-franks-elevator-girl-sees-herself-years-later (assessed 17th August 2015) is another image cited for is use of motion blur. This picture whilst again the motion blur could be unintentional has more of a deliberate feel to it than Capa’s, (Capa’s is still a stunning photograph nonetheless) as the girl froze in time, bored in her world, as the rest of the world moves around her.

I am not familiar as whole with Franks work, and I will try at a later date to research the Americans and put together a separate blog post.

Hiroshi Sugimoto

The suggested video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY3nGoZqw9U while fascinating, his images of the movie theatres cause me confusion as while I know there is movement there they do not show it in an obvious way. Is he trying more to how the passage of time or the movement of light? I’m not sure.

Sugimoto does have other images that interest me in other projects, and he is someone I will research further.

Michael Wesley

To say Michaels Wesley has taken the concept of long exposure photography a step further that most would be an understatement.

Using a technique, which remains a secret, using a combination of a large format camera, ND filters, and a pinhole he has captured images with exposures of over several years and says he is capable of making images of up to 40 years.

The images are quite a fascinating as the show the passage of light and time. Linked is an image take in an office over a year back in 1997-1998 http://itchyi.squarespace.com/storage/Michael%20Wesely%2029%20July%201996%20-%2029%20July%201997%20Office%20of%20Helmut%20Friedel.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1279627342824(assessed 17^th August 2015)

While, I’m not very interested in this Wesley’s or Sugimoto’s long-exposure photography looking at them both together Wesley’s images help me with my confusion with Sugimoto theatre Images.

Maarten Vanvolsem

“The paradox of dance photography – how to make something move in a still image – does not seem to have a solution unless one discards the traditional central shutter/snapshot photography. With strip photography, we can focus on the choreography, the transitions, rather than freezing dancers in midair.”http://www.imageandnarrative.be/inarchive/Timeandphotography/vanvolsem.html (assessed 17th August 2015)

To capture this Vanvolsem has used a loving camera, with a moving subject, capturing several images in a single frame; however, personally I do not see what she is trying to convey more that the simple steps movement.

Francesca Woodman

The most powerful use of movement I have seen in the brief research session is in the work of Francesca Woodman.As it suggests in the OCA course notes is hard not to see how perhaps she say herself in the world and the lead up to her suicide at a tragically young age.

The Tate website points that she usually places herself in the frame but are not conventional self –portraits. However, I view this images I see a deeply troubled girl not comfortable in the world, as is suggested the ghostly images add to this feeling.

However, what worries me the most if I did not know she had committed suicide at 22 would I see these same dark images?

http://www.gerrybadger.com/francesca-woodman (accessed 17th August 2015)

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/francesca-woodman-10512 (assessed 17th August 2015)

Christoper Doyle

Finally, Cinematographer Christopher Doyle shot the opening scene to Wong Kar-Wai’s Chungking Express (1994) stand out for me. The additional camera movement and show shutter speed draw your eye around the screen – conveying the desperate panic and disorientation felt in the chase situation. Plus having walked the same alley many times, I know now disorientating they are.

Harold Egerton was a Professor of Electrical Engineering at MIT and a photographer, who is well known for his work on capturing images of high speed to allow them to be seen by the human eye.

The linked image shows one of his most iconic the Milk Cornet and a description of his technique: http://edgerton-digital-collections.org/galleries/iconic#hee-nc-64002 (assessed 17^th Aug 2015)

Egerton developed the use of a high-speed camera, and strobe lighting and multi-flash setups to capture these images.

More about his life and work can be found on the highly informative “Egerton Digital Collection Project website: http://edgerton-digital-collections.org/ (assessed 17^th Aug 2015)

While I would like to recreate this type of photograph so before completing Exercise 3.1, I do a little more research into Trigger Trap http://www.triggertrap.com/#products/triggertrapmobile1 (assessed 17th Aug 2015)