perfection is overrated, redux




Mario’s Bike

Originally uploaded by André Rabelo.

I don’t know anything about the “deleteme” group in Flickr but apparently it’s some kind of criticism pool, where people can submit pictures for review. 

Someone submitted this shot by Cartier-Bresson and it was voted down. Not sharp, not clear what the subject is, weak tones, you name it. 

Read the thread, if you’re up for it. I can’t see a lot of value in a group/process like that. For people to claim that HCB would take a different picture today, given the technology we have now, misses the point. As noted in the comments, people made the same arguments at the time, as small-format cameras became more widely used, resulting in more pictures, due to their ease of use, and new ways to express ideas. 

This image captures time in several different ways: where is the cyclist going, where is he coming from? What time of day is it? A tack-sharp representational shot might not have said as much. 

They didn’t name his technique, his style, the “Decisive Moment” for nothing. 

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