Portrait master - The Decisive Moment

The Decisive Moment

"The Decisive Moment" is a term coined by Henri Cartier-Bresson and a book by the same name.

Cartier-Bresson excelled in composition without cropping his negatives, and he had a unique ability to capture the fleeting moment in which the subject's significance is revealed in form, content, and expression.
He termed this the decisive moment.“For me the camera is a sketchbook, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity, the master of the instant which—in visual terms—questions and decides simultaneously,” he once said.

Copy and paste the following into a post on your blog.

The Decisive Moment
Look through the book available by clicking here.

Answer the following questions on your blog.

1. Choose the portrait you like the most, and write the photo number.
2. Briefly describe the photo. What is the CVI? Is it a formal portrait, an informal portrait, or something else?
3. Form- What are the major composition techniques used in this photo, and how are they used?4. Content - What are the eye positions, and how does this affect the photo? Describe the lighting.
5. Expression- What is happening in this photo that makes this moment "decisive?"
6. Read the caption, and explain one thing that is interesting about the person / scene.