Where I am at with the ‘decisive moment’ question
In a sense I find myself in two camps over this question. In terms of the aesthetics of the present moment, I think that it is important for an image to have impact and for there also at the same time to be something more mysterious or no too overt and obvious in the photo. Something that leaves the imagination to work a bit and think it through.
Graham’s work for me leaves holes and questions such as, if there is no real decisive point within the frame and we are asked to not expect a focal point or decisive moment, what is the purpose of the photo? Where does it take us or what does it intend to demonstrate? Are his images just vague and confused? Even in the apparently not so decisive moments of Graham’s images from the series ‘The present’ (2009) one still sees an intention, execution and a focus to some extent. The actions on the frame are not so clearly defined as they are with Bresson, but still there is a particular focus and presumable the artist wants to say something using the composition to communicate.
So for me I stand on two sides, taking more of a side with Bresson and the ‘decisive moment’ which perhaps is another way of talking about a peak moment or moment of creative fusion between different events to relate a message or meaning. However I think that the fact is is that other photographers can try to copy Bresson and this can become a cliché that is stylistic. In this case it seems that the photo becomes more about style than image or art.
So I conclude for myself that it is not a black and white affair. I can neither say that every photo needs to be a decisive moment affair of the type of Bresson (otherwise every photo becomes a similar expression even though the objects change) nor can I say that I disagree with Graham totally in his attempts to use any context and any moment to make a point. I suppose it comes down to what the photography is intending to do and the best way to go about communicating that.
OCA log level 1 Photography 