The Decisive Moment
Henry Cartier-Bresson:
Henry Cartier-Bresson was a french photgrapher, cosidered to be the master of candid photography, meaning a photograph captured without creating a posed appearance. He lead the genre of streetart photography and his work has been one of the most influencial in history.
His words; "For me the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity, the master of the instant which, in visual terms, questions and decides simultaneously. In order to give a “meaning” to the world, one has to feel involved in what one frames through the viewfinder. This attitude requires concentration, discipline of mind, sensitivity, and a sense of geometry. It is by economy of means that one arrives at simplicity of expression. To take a photograph is to hold one’s breath when all faculties converge in a face of fleeing reality. It is at that moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy. To take a photograph means to recognize, simultaneously and within a fraction of a second‚ both the fact itself and the rigorous organization of visually perceived forms that give it meaning. It is putting one‚ head, one‚ eye, and one‚ heart on the same axis."
His photographs were and are still some of the most famous in the world, in particular:
His words; "For me the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity, the master of the instant which, in visual terms, questions and decides simultaneously. In order to give a “meaning” to the world, one has to feel involved in what one frames through the viewfinder. This attitude requires concentration, discipline of mind, sensitivity, and a sense of geometry. It is by economy of means that one arrives at simplicity of expression. To take a photograph is to hold one’s breath when all faculties converge in a face of fleeing reality. It is at that moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy. To take a photograph means to recognize, simultaneously and within a fraction of a second‚ both the fact itself and the rigorous organization of visually perceived forms that give it meaning. It is putting one‚ head, one‚ eye, and one‚ heart on the same axis."
His photographs were and are still some of the most famous in the world, in particular:
The Decisive Moment - Henry Cartier-Bresson began the craze of the 'decisive moment' with his 1947 book 'The Decisive Moment'. In the 1930s he began taking photographs and his work was very much influenced by Surrealists and their way of creating a new reality to the world. His images are momentary glimpses of reality but organised into a geometric pattern. 'The Decisive Moment' was a collection of photographs taken by Henry Cartier-Bresson that portray his influential way of working. The photographs present how he waits until just the right moment to take a photograph, hence the tital 'The Decisive Moment'.
The photograph consists of various shapes including:
|
The (In)decisive Moment
Nick Waplington:
Nick Waplington is a British artist and photographer, known for photographing very honestly and strangely, compared to other photographer, especially Henry Cartier-Bresson. His work has no signature or subject matter and he claims to be 'interested in everything'. He describes himself to be an artist, not a photographer.
Wapplington describes the project and his way of working: 'I never try to previsualise what I am going to make', 'sometimes I'm not quite sure why I have made work until years afterwards', 'I wanted to make work that was not purporting to be the truth', 'every and any moment works', 'there are no guidelines, everything is open and everything is possible'.
Wapplington describes the project and his way of working: 'I never try to previsualise what I am going to make', 'sometimes I'm not quite sure why I have made work until years afterwards', 'I wanted to make work that was not purporting to be the truth', 'every and any moment works', 'there are no guidelines, everything is open and everything is possible'.
The (in)decisive Moment - Nick Wapplington introduced the 'Indecisive Memento', a piece of work documenting a global road trip, described as 'an eight week journey as a work of art' whereby Wapplington travelled through Central and South America and the Pacific. This book, the fifth of Nick Waplington's, documents images from his recent travels around the world. It aims to mirror the aspirations of young people whose dreams have become manipulated by the mass media. On this journey he travelled from Sao Paulo, Montevideo and Buenos Aires to Cuba, Easter Island and finally Australia. Within this collection of
His work started in 1984, on the Broxtowe Estate in Aspley, Nottingham where he began to photograph friends and neighbours of his family. This style of work continued on and off for the next 15 years, and from this, he produced two books: ‘Living Room and Weddings, Parties, Anything’ and also numerous exhibitions. Living Room is a book whereby Waplington spent foiur years documenting the daily lives of two working-class families on a council estate in Nottingham, England. Rather than embracing the modern photographic normalities of social realism, Waplington reported the lives of these families in saturated color, capturing an intimate narrative with tenderness and an unexpected humour.
|
Another very key point in Waplington’s career has been when he worked on a major book project with the fashion designer Alexander McQueen during 2008/2009, called Working Process (2013). The title refers to both McQueen's working Process as a fashion designer and Waplington's working process as an artist making photo books. In this book, Waplington’s photographs reveal a raw and unpolished side of the fashion world. In March 2015 this project became the first one-person exhibition by a British photographer at the Tate Gallery in London.
My Response to Nick Waplington
When taking these photographs, I aimed to photograph in the style of Nick Waplington. I tried to take photos that would capture moving life so that it mirrored the style of Waplington. This is the reason that I edited the photographs with a Chrome effect. Waplington stated that he often took photos with saturated colour so I decided to use a saturated effect in order to replicate his style. I feel as though I am relatively happy with the outcome of my journey as I think they replicate Waplington's work in terms of tone, however I don't think all of them mirror his style in terms of composition and being quite wacky with the way he takes photographs.