Memory or the Decisive Moment
Don Springer, August 2017
I been reflecting on myself for awhile and the past few weeks
really getting critical. See, I have this nice mirror in my
office and I sit and look into it for a spell and reflect.
The important kind. The kind that says, dude, ya need to lose
a few pounds. So I started to think about the importance
photographs have for us as shooters and the motives and
intent for making them and the end result of the photos life.
Probably the most important purpose for a photo is the making
of a memory. This in itself is an oxymoron to the intent of
photography. If a photo is a 2 dimensional image, then it
should be viewed as its own reality. The reality of the
photograph. This concept was initialized and taught by
Stieglitz. He was the one conscious of the phenomenon of
photography and the one who discovered the true nature of a
photograph. The idea was that when a photo is viewed it
should stand on its own merit and not need the crutch of the
reality it was captured from.
The idea of titling a photo supports the crutch of reality
and serves to destroy or shatter the illusion of the image.
We see a photo of a person and it's titled, "Grandma, New
York 1936." The title supports the memory but what about the
innate existence of photography? If we practice that a photo
needs only itself to be recognized as itself, what then about
Grandma? What about this memory thing? Does this mean that
photos really are not what they appear to be? Does it mean
the the concrete illusion of a photo being on its own in our
reality is not a truth at all?
Stieglitz said that photos were the truth of the moment.
Bresson coined the phrase, "The Decisive Moment". I lived my
life adopting these truths and practicing them and teaching
them. So why now at 67yo do I question the basis of a life in
photography and stumble upon the very essence of my belief
system? Perhaps it's an awakening of a dormant concept that
is now coming to life and trying to create a new path.
Photographs are not an island of tranquility at all. They
rock the very foundation of their own existence. Street
photography as important and loving as it is, is also the
antithesis of memory. When I work the streets, I am not
thinking about memories. I am thinking and feeling .... what?
Damn, ain't that the $64,000.00 question.
I have learned and taught that the photograph exist due to
the shooter making it. End result. We look at our work and
try to feel and see the reason for making it. It's not a lost
soul, it's just photography. The real idea is that we had
another reason for clicking the shutter than the memory of
the moment.