The Decisive Moment

"I am a pack of nerves while waiting for the moment, and this feeling grows and grows and grows and then it explodes, it is a physical joy, a dance, space and time reunited."

Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare, Paris. (JStor/Henri Cartier-Bresson)

The decisive moment, “that instant when a shutter click can suspend an event within the eye and heart of the beholder, an exhilarating confluence of observer and observed.” (Friend, 2003, p. 282)  It is a moment in time, a shot taken by a photographer that captures and creates a beautiful image, perhaps even an image considered to be “iconic,” to stand the test of time. It evokes emotion from the viewer, provides a glimpse of history in action, and has the framing and aesthetic to be eye-catching. It is a confluence of technology, timing, vision, energy and luck. From the modern perspective, with digital media becoming so prevalent, is the decisive moment still as important? Has it ever been anything other than pure chance? Does the saturation of images in our daily lives question the validity of a decisive moment; has it simply lost its value?

Ever brutally honest and with a penchant for provocation, Henri Cartier-Bresson stated in an interview with Vanity Fair that, "Every Tom, Dick, and Harry is a photographer," (Friend, 2003, p. 283) which certainly seems to hold true today. 2003, the year of Cartier-Bresson's interview, was the first time that digital cameras out-sold film cameras, and by 2006 63% of all households owned a digital camera (Lang, 2010, p. 18). In the present day, it's nearly impossible to find someone without a camera in their pocket due to the incredible popularity of camera phones and social applications such as Instagram, Snapchat and the ilk. iPhone photography has become incredibly popular, thanks in part to books such as The Best Camera is the One That's With You, by Chase Jarvis and hip stores like Urban Outfitters and Photojojo selling camera accessories, for your smartphone. But simply because virtually everyone has a camera, that doesn't necessarily mean everyone is taking good pictures, or capturing that decisive moment. (Or is even necessarily trying to.) As discussed by Kelsey, the sheer number of photographs taken does increase the probability of the capture of an image that is iconic, whether intended or otherwise (2009) though more is needed to create a photograph that is intentionally iconic.

To only blame technology for this perceived “decline” in the idea of the decisive moment would be far too simple. It was, in fact, technology that progressed photography to the point of photojournalism. 35mm film and the Leica camera were what Cartier-Bresson began catching his decisive moments with, providing the ability to move freely about an event as it happened. As stated in Friend's Vanity Fair article, “In an old film clip included in a 1994 documentary by director Sarah Moon, Cartier-Bresson can be seen, camera in hand, at a parade, bobbing and dipping, darting and weaving, focusing and refocusing, balancing on one reed-thin leg like some stork with a beret and a Leica, hurriedly trying to view all perspectives before the perfect one passes.” (2003, p. 294) Without fast-enough film to capture the moment, photography never would have moved past the still post-battle scenes of Brady's time.

Celebrating May Day, Estonia, Soviet Union. (JStor/Henri Cartier-Bresson)

Cartier-Bresson describes his experiences capturing the decisive moment as anything but cerebral. Speaking to Friend, he notes, “You mustn't know too much. There's nothing to know. Cats know more than human beings on the subject. Cats sniffle: sniff-sniff. Intuition. People use brains too much.” (2003, p. 292) It is described by Kelsey as an “ideal of feline quickness and Zen-like immersion in temporal flow,” (2009, p. 73). The ability to “feel” the moment, move and respond quickly is seemingly a large part of capturing a decisive moment, though there is most certainly a need for vision and a knowledge of aesthetics to intentionally seek and capture the moment itself. Richmond's 2004 article speaks almost entirely to both the philosophy of beauty and aesthetics and its practical application, if you will, in Cartier-Bresson's photography. If the decisive moment is meant to evoke an emotional reaction from the viewer, or if it is to be considered “art” then skill in aesthetics is a necessity. As Richmond states, “The photographer's experience at this point cannot be described easily. The light, the mood, the feeling, the tones and textures, and subject and form become as one. It is as if a connection has been made that cuts through the ordinary and mundane.” (2004, p. 86).

The idea of chance and probability is inevitable when it comes to iconic photographs. However, when Kelsey states that, “[Rosenthal's iconic Iwo Jima flag photograph] was selected for mass distribution and celebration because its mundane evidentiary function was wrapped in exquisite pictorial stuff.” (2009, p. 66) the discrediting of the photographer's aesthetic eye is very much discredited. Chance does play a part in creating iconic imagery (so much of life is simply being at the right place at the right time), but more often than not in combination with photographic skill does the decisive moment happen intentionally.

 An American flag is raised atop Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, on Feb. 23, 1945. (AP Photo/Joe Rosenthal)

 However, a different point is brought up in Kelsey's statement. Rosenthal's image was selected for mass production, a significantly less common event in 1945 than today. With the common use of the internet for social sharing of media, anyone with a camera can likely publish their work. Videos go viral frequently. Media, advertising and the like use photography for nearly everything (sometimes they don't even pay for it). It could be argued that the vast quantity of images and the extensive avenues of proliferation throw another layer of chance into the promotion of would-be iconic photographs today. This idea, coupled with the fact that “anyone can be a photographer” does seem to cast some doubt on whether or not the decisive moment is still relevant today. 

 As a photographer, I have experienced many decisive moments, some captured, some missed, though all enjoyed. If one is looking to become famous from capturing that one “lucky” moment today, I do believe they are out of luck. We are constantly steeped in images, some good, most bad, few great. I believe the decisive moment is still relevant to creating a great photograph. Though it may be easier than ever to capture that moment with digital cameras, burst shutter mode, automatic focus and the new gadgets technology has provided for us, skill and visual literacy do still have a huge impact on what makes or breaks the photo. In my undergraduate program, I had a photography professor who believed, “A good photographer can take a photograph of anything mundane and make it visually interesting.” While I believe this is true (and testament to developing a photographic eye), the photos that we consider iconic do need a blending of chance, the photographer must be present in the moment, observing the world around them. It's one of the pleasures of photography, both to the photographer and the viewer. As Henri Cartier-Bresson describes, “To take photographs is to hold one's breath when all faculties converge in the face of fleeing reality. It is at that moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy.” (1999, p. 16) Robinson echos from a viewer's perspective, “There is a kind of shock or frisson at seeing something so individual, complete and potently real.” (2004, p. 86)

“Has the time of singular iconic photographs passed?” may need to be the question asked today. The over-saturation of images brought about by technology, media and the expanse of resources at our disposal make it seem that way, if image value is thought of like economics. However, this does not mean the decisive moment is meaningless, or its value truly lessened. Photographic skill, vision and desire to be “in the moment,” capturing the world around us are as important today as they were in the past to create a beautiful photograph. Just because “anyone can be a photographer,” does not mean everyone will be a good photographer. In my opinion, value isn't lessened by greater supply (unless you're really looking to get famous off of one image...). Good, bad and great photographs are still being taken, photographers are feeling and capturing Cartier-Bresson's decisive moment and the images are being made available for people to see.   

The River Seine. 1955. (JStor/Henri Cartier-Bresson)

References

Baetens, J. (2009). Is a photograph worth a thousand films? Visual Studies, 24(2), 143–148.

Cartier-Bresson, H. (1999). The Mind’s Eye: Writings on Photography and Photographers (First). New York: Aperture.

Chase, J. (2009). The Best Camera is the One That's with You: Iphone Photography by Chase Jarvis. Thousand Oaks: New Oaks Publishing.

Friend, D. (2003). Cartier-Bresson’s Decisive Moment. Vanity Fair, (511), 282.

Kelsey, R. (2009). Of Fish, Birds, Cats, Mice, Spiders, Flies, Pigs, and Chimpanzees: How Chance Casts the Historic Action Photograph into Doubt. History & Theory, 48(4), 59–76.

Lang, D. (2010). Digitizing the Decisive Moment. Visual Anthropology Review, 26(1), 17–24.

Marien, M. (2012). The Decisive Moment. In 100 Ideas that Changed Photography. London: Laurence King. 

Photojojo. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://photojojo.com/.

Richmond, S. (2004). Remembering Beauty: Reflections on Kant and Cartier-Bresson for Aspiring Photographers. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 38(1), 78.

Search: Urban Outfitters (2015). Retrieved from http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/search.jsp?q=photography#/.