Au Clair De Lune: 13 Rue Francaise, Les Halles, Paris. 1988
Time.
There’s a line in an interview with photographer Steve McCurry about finding a frame that has potential, a view that may not feel complete but with the addition of some unrealised element might be worth pursuing. A little something to give it meaning or balance. The hope is to turn a photograph that is o.k into an image that stops the viewer for a second more than they would have done, without the addition of say, a bird in flight or a pedestrian’s purposeful stride.
But it isn’t just about an additional ‘thing’ that can make or break an image, it can be as French photographer, Henri Cartier-Bresson described in the Sarah Moon documentary, Henri Cartier-Bresson: Point d'Interrogation, that you take that moment and slice it into milliseconds. "Il n'y a rien dans ce monde qui n'ait un moment decisif" - ‘T'here is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment’. A quick google will reveal all there is to know on the subject.
McCurry is interested in completing the frame and Cartier-Bresson is concerned with the absolute perfection of movement - the exact moment.
None of this is easy. It takes patience, cunning and the learnt ability to predict the natural rhythm of things.
The picture above is a classic often seen view, stylistically speaking. The man is wearing the perfect coloured jacket and trousers and is framed in the dark doorway of the Hotel Au Clair de Lune. The anchoring of the frame with the foreground building and subtle colour palette, a splash of ochre and blue, all help. The gentleman’s foot is slightly raised and the cane mirrors his movement in a parallel line. It’s a picture of something inherently photogenic. The inclusion of the Parisian and his cane give life and focus to the image and the precise moment he has been captured give energy and purpose. He’s on the move.
Early in my career I was sent out into the world by my mentor Anthony Blake to make editorial pictures for his agency - which gave me a reason to wait other than the aesthetic pleasure of the moment. I have carried this ethos over the course of my career and the result of this attention turns up in advertising campaigns and editorial shoots to this day. It’s a crucial element I’m constantly looking for.
It may be argued that this idea is irrelevant now - put your camera on hi speed and push the button - you’re bound to get something and you most likely would. But without the foresight to stand and wait and then breathe and wait again, there is also a good chance you will get nothing. There is something to be said for trusting your intuition and taking the time to be in the moment.
I was able to pinpoint this image on google earth - I know where I was standing when I took this picture, and I could go back there now and stand in the same spot and wait for the right moment. Then, let my brain slice up the moment and pick one millisecond that works. The picture would be different, the monochrome would be multi but my intent would be the same.
That’s the wonder of photography and the magical nature of time.