Sep 21 2011

A Curious Moment

There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment – Cardinal de Retz

French photographers Robert Doisneau and Henri Cartier-Bresson are known as the fathers of photojournalism.

The Decisive Moment is the title of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s 1957 book, which showcased the portfolio of ‘street photography’ he had produced in France, India and China over the preceding 20 years. 

He photographed exclusively in black and white, using a Leica 35mm rangefinder camera.

The Queensland Art Gallery is hosting an exhibition of his works until 27th November.

You can download the QAG / GoMA iPhone app to get an interactive guide to the exhibition.

Robert Doisneau is known for his ‘candid’ shots of amusing and eccentric life in Paris. His most famous work is ‘Kiss by the Hôtel de Ville’, which in fact was not candid at all. Doisneau asked a couple he had seen kissing in Paris to recreate the moment at a number of locations. Being Parisian, they were only too happy to oblige.

There are 60 minutes in an hour, and 1440 minutes in a day.

The Sydney Morning Herald today announced the winners of its photography competition ‘1440: A day, a minute, a moment. Your moment’. Amateur photographers were challenged to capture an image of one moment on a particular day in Sydney. Entires were judged in three themes – Red, Public Transport, and City Living.

The winning entry by Jaroslaw L. Gasiorek was entitled Just Curious.

A gallery of finalists is available at smh.com.au