Capturing the Moment

One of photographers true greats, Henri Cartier-Bresson, nailed photography perfectly when he coined the phrase the decisive moment. So perfectly, in fact, that it has foiled all attempts to escape the single, crucial idea of what photography, and photography alone, can do. It has spawned the inevitable contrary terms, such as Geoff Dyers ongoing moment and Gary Windowgrands indecisive moment, but these simply continue to reinforce the idea that there are indeed perfect instants in the world we see in front of us. This book deals with the unique power of photography to capture slices of times and life. What it is not is a book about shutter speed. It is about gesture, expression, things just touching and others about to happen - a kiss, a ball in the net, a whale breaching, a pole vaulter suspended above the bar, an expression of delight, a glass about to shatter in pieces on the floor.