Page 16 - Phonebox Magazine September 2016

Olney Camera Club The Decisive Moment
Henri Cartier-Bresson used the phrase “The Decisive Moment” as the title for his famous book on a certain type of photography
published in 1952. This book was out of print for many years and too expensive for most. It has recently been republished and will be of interest to most keen photographers as it offers insight into a certain form of photography.
Cartier-Bresson is an important historical gure in the world of photography and a master of his art. This quote from his introduction to the book explains what he understood by the decisive moment “Photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the signi cance of an event as well as of a precise organisation of forms which give that event its proper expression”.
The decisive moment has come to mean the perfect second to press the shutter, and in this context could be applied to street photographers who search out the perfect moment when light, action and expression come together.
Most people will be familiar with at least one of Cartier-Bresson’s pictures and they represent a form of photography that is observational, beautifully composed, beguiling and in black and white. A possibly outdated notion of what photography should be, as the world has moved on to colour and conceptualisation. However there is still much to be learned from his art-composition, awareness of the importance of contrast within the subject (old and new together, beauty and the beast etc), and the ability to wait for the right concurrence of subjects within the frame.
The Magnum photo agency was started by Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa and David “Chim” Seymour in 1947 and the web site has a beautiful selection of Cartier-Bresson’s work. Well worth viewing.
Our picture this month won the category “Monochrome” in a recent competition at Olney Camera Club. The image is by Michael Clark and is titled ”Stride“.
This picture is a good example of a decisive moment photograph, with lovely positioning within the lattice of shadows, and the dark line of the shadow at the rear balances the picture.
Our next meeting is on Weds. 28th Sept. at 8.00pm in the Olney Centre. It is a Digital Images Competition and the Landscape Cup (print) competition. All welcome. Call Gina on 01234 711657 for further information.
group of volunteers both male and female who donate the cakes. Each day there is a different team on duty so you never know what cake is going to be on sale. Ninety nine percent of our cakes are homemade.
We serve only tea, chocolate, squash and lter coffee, but decaffeinated coffee and tea are available and of course our delicious cakes.
We also sell good second hand books and have a ‘sales table’.
Tucked away as we are, many people do not realise we are there. If you are one of those please come into Newport’s hidden gem and sample our wares. We will be delighted to see you and maybe you will be surprised to see someone you know already there.
We are looking for a volunteer for alternate Thursdays, working from 9.00am until 12.30pm. Should you wish to join our volunteers please phone 01908 618845.
Newport Pagnell’s Hidden Gem
The Newport Pagnell Coffee Shop
ucked away behind the Methodist the church and one third to local charities. Church in the High Street, between In 1982 church house was sold to the Baptist the Town Council Offices and church and in 1983 they needed more space the Hairdressers, you will find and so the coffee shop moved to its present
Newport’s hidden gem. It is the Newport location, opening Tuesday to Saturday from
Pagnell Coffee Shop, which is the longest running coffee shop in town.
Founded in 1976 by the late Catherine Bull, the coffee shop, originally named ‘Koinonia’ meaning friendship, opened in what was then Church House, now serviced ats, as a place where people could meet friends for a coffee and a chat. At that time there were no coffee shops in Newport.
The pro ts then were divided two-thirds to
10.00am until noon. It was renamed The Newport Pagnell Coffee shop and it was decided that all pro ts would go to Willen Hospice. To date the coffee shop has donated over £216,000 to Willen Hospice.
Not only do we help Willen but we also serve the community as the coffee shop is still a good place to meet friends and make new ones.
The coffee shop is manned by a very friendly
16 Phonebox Magazine | September 2016