the decisive moment

there is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment

thanks for reminding me about this concept earlier this week kevin! it worked out well because i know that other photo-a-day companions are starting to realize that moments to get that perf shot are incredibly fleeting.

in photography class, we saw hundreds of slides from many of the masters. one of them was henri cartier-bresson, a pioneer of street photography and master of candid portraits. not only did he create an inspiring body of photographic work, but he also gracefully articulated this concept of the decisive moment in photography:

"There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative. Oop! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever."

isn't that crazy to wrap your head around? one solitary instance when elements of the world come together in a stunning way that can be immortalized through photography or otherwise reduced to memory. i love the potential to seize the decisive moment, but in attempting to do so there are so many more chances i frustratedly miss out on. such is photography...and life. it is worth it to keep trying for those moments.

one more quote from hcb...

"To take a photograph is to align the head, the eye and the heart. It's a way of life."

randomly a few weeks back some guy sitting next to me on bart between west oakland and city center said something similar about the mind and the heart needing to be the best of friends. my mind has known where i want to be for a while. it's just my heart hasn't quite caught up to speed. or maybe it's the other way around?

gentlemen and douchebags

in conversations with lady friends, we often mention these two categories. sad to say that the latter is getting more usage...

1) is he a d-bag?

well, he can be d-bag-ish.

i think every guy can be d-bag-ish.

2) do you like him? do you like him enough to forgive him for being a d-bag?

*sigh* i think so.

i don't know why the term finds its way into the convo. there are probably more appropriate terms to use in these instances. while this isn't a good enough reason to use it, john mayer once blogged:

It feels good to say, "douchebag. " It's got two different plosive sounds, the "D" and "B", and nicely wedged between is a wonderful "sh."

or maybe it's being used more because it's the douchebags of the world that get more exposure. i stumbled across an episode of "shot of love 2" a long while ago in which the nicest guy gets kicked off the show and all the other contestants are crying and upset. but the tears are no consolation, because who is left with a chance to still get the girl? the d-bags! what is that saying about what popular culture values? you can get further by being a d-bag? that's so unfortunate.

but if every guy can be d-bag-ish, i also believe that every guy can be a gentleman. i think every walk home or "let me get you a water" on the dance floor is very much appreciated. just continue to give us more of these reasons to trade in the d-word in for the g-word. the world will be a much better place.

at musing's end

i watched this after coming home from seeing goapele on thursday night. her songs and this video got me in a bit of a sappy mood. i promise it's not overly cheesy though.

i've met the guy who wrote and directed this (the six degrees: he's the cousin of a friend's ex-boyfriend). after seeing this though...all i gotta say is what a freakin romantic. but who hasn't let their daydreams of love wander to musing's end?