Decisive Moment in a French café... by vignouse

Decisive Moment in a French café...

As I am the organiser of the new Artist Challenge to produce an image in the style of Henri Cartier-Bresson which starts today (details here: http://365project.org/discuss/themes-competitions/25672/new-artist-challenge-henri-cartier-bresson ), I thought I should have a go myself.

This is an attempt at capturing HCB's 'Decisive Moment'. This group of people were watching a musician performing in the bar and I wanted one of them to make eye contact with me to change the dynamic of the scene. And not just anyone of the five, but this particular man so as to create a balanced composition with the two people at the bar counter in the background.

I had to wait a little while, but finally I got the shot I wanted - hand-held at 1/8 sec.
Fabulous capture
June 6th, 2015  
nice shot
June 6th, 2015  
Richard, I have a question. When you take a shot such as this, do you get permission from the people or do you just take it.? I feel a little uncomfortable taking pictures of people who are not aware of what I am doing but I like the nature interaction of the group.
June 6th, 2015  
@aat3877 Mostly I just take the shot, as I did here... in fact with this one, I kept the camera to my eye until he looked at me. The nearest I come to asking is holding my camera up and looking quizical - this mostly gets a nod but I only ask when it involves children or an intimate moment.
June 6th, 2015  
DbJ
Nicely done! I see you have the Mark 3, I have the Mark 2 and I've been loving it for street.
June 7th, 2015  
@dbj I'm so impressed with this little beast... this was wide-open at ISO4000 and 1/8 sec - and the pop-up EVF is a little marvel.
June 7th, 2015  
Looks like you got what you wanted. Nice capture!
June 7th, 2015  
This is terrific and you were wise to wait for the guy to look at you. He really does change the dynamic from eavesdropping to engaged.
June 7th, 2015  
@vignouse Thank you for your input. I will keep this in mind.
June 7th, 2015  
The photo becomes much more intimate with the guy's eye contact. This is a great street shot and b&w is perfect for this shot.
June 7th, 2015  
Great story, love the B & W. The casualness of the group..and one fellow making direct eye contact..
June 7th, 2015  
Ah, wonderfully executed Richard, it took patience and a steady hand.
Many people there, but one is drawn into the photo by the drama of the eye contact.
June 7th, 2015  
Well done! Your patience paid off!
June 7th, 2015  
Great capture!
June 7th, 2015  
Wonderful capture! I llike the eye contact you made.
June 7th, 2015  
You really nailed this shot, Richard. So candid and casual. Nice in B&W.
June 7th, 2015  
Love it. Love the black and white processing. Fav
June 7th, 2015  
Great capture! Well worth the wait.
June 7th, 2015  
Interesting bunch Richard , You fulfilled your brief...You may have created a new genre , the interior street shot....
June 7th, 2015  
@jack4john They're actually on the terrace of the café under an awning so maybe you're right!
June 7th, 2015  
Fabulous "street" shot. Well done on waiting for the eye contact. It really adds another dimension to your shot.
June 7th, 2015  
Great capture, Richard!
June 7th, 2015  
great presentation
June 7th, 2015  
You nailed it! FAV
June 7th, 2015  
A great candid. You've really caught the full range of expressions.
June 7th, 2015  
Oh yes Richard, that look makes the shot. Fabulous shot.
June 7th, 2015  
This is a super image. The technique of waiting for eye contact often does pay off as it has done so well here but I will admit that I normally lose my nerve before it happens!
June 7th, 2015  
You got the moment OK, Richard. It really makes the shot
June 7th, 2015  
A great drop kick, right over the goalposts, to launch HCB. Bravo!
June 8th, 2015  
@aat3877 That's what I do too. If they see me with the camera and don't object what the heck. If I am talking to people then I ask permission to post. With smart phones going off all the time and cameras in the stores and on the streets capturing us all the time then people get used to it.
June 8th, 2015  
Lee
Brilliant shot. Fav.
June 8th, 2015  
Fantastic!For me particularly the most interesting element is the woman in the center,her pose,being surrounded only by men and nobody is looking at her.It makes an interesting story (although different from the real one).Fav for sure!
June 9th, 2015  
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