To me, this name has only one meaning: the world famous 20mm automatic cannon, which has been the primary anti aerial weapon for the best part of the 20th century.
Massive attack ?
One September afternoon, I suddenly heard a roar of jets passing by at a low altitude. I jumped out on the terrace, and saw a flying squad in tight formation. After a brief consideration that perhaps Monaco has just been invaded by the French Army, I thought this was unlikely, as it would have been much cheaper to invade us by foot… I dashed off to my camera shelf, and grabbed anything that still had unfinished film inside.
Red Arrows at work
For a moment, I felt like an operator of the famous 20mm Oerlikon : I quickly emptied my available film cassettes, while the planes performed their loops and flips above the coastline.
High impact
When the jets terminated their magnificent performance, I looked up on the internet for explanations: it was the squad of Red Arrows, the acrobatic formation of RAF, invited to perform here by one of the sponsors of the Monaco Yacht Show.
“Collage is an art term. It means creating a work rather like a painting, but with pieces of paper and fabric (‘found objects’) stuck together on a surface to make a work of art.”
Three star hotel
I often find myself attracted to random complexity. The advantage of photography, is that you can record on the fly images, that form interesting abstract collages, yet make part of everyday reality. I am not sure, who fell for this taste first, probably Eugene Atget, but the first high quality body of work on this theme, called: “Reflections, New York” has been done by Lisette Model, in the period 1939-1945.
At an intellectual level, this type of images chime with my interest in complexity – a domain that has become increasingly important, as our understanding of the world grows, alongside the growth of processing power of our computers. At the social level, this can be portrayed by Thorngate’s postulate of commensurate complexity, which, simply put, says, that in social sciences, a law cannot be at the same time Simple, Accurate and General, thus most often, instead of looking for easy answers, we must accept Complexity, if we want to find true and general rules that are at work.
Emerging detail
In music, I like to associate this kind of perception with the coolness of Modal Jazz.
I was born in Warsaw, in the middle of the Great European Plains, and except for a couple of years passed studying on the edge of the Bristol Channel, have spent most of my life away from a coast. Only five years ago, I moved from the Milan area in northern Italy, to Monaco, at the very heart of the French Riviera. It’s most picturesque part extends from Menton, right on the border with Italy, to Nice, once an Italian town, annexed to France in 1860.
When you move to live by a warm coast, you undergo a subtle change: you become more relaxed, optimistic, outgoing and … intolerant to frost. In most cases, you also develop resistance to common colds. There is a theory, that regular bathing in a sea enhances your immune system. If you add the benefit of being exposed to a good dose of sunlight , the availability of fresh fruit, vegetables and fish throughout the year, a recipe for a healthier life is ready made. Even living in coastal areas of Britain, seems to deliver measurable health benefits.
Early morning bathing club in company of ducks
People who studied the most long lived populations on the planet, have analyzed multiple factors, but failed somehow to observe, that many of the elements contributing to extended well being are correlated to living by a warm sea. In fact, their Blue Zones are all placed within coastal sub tropical climates around the globe. The yearly and daily narrow temperature amplitude around moderate values, makes life somehow less of a challenge. To sum up: if you like the idea, and can plan for moving your home by the sea, don’t waste any more time. It’s well worth it.
I’d like to conclude the series of photographs from Poland, on a lighter note, which for me would usually imply some pictures of dogs. I had a pleasure to visit a friend who lives just outside the capital, in rural surroundings. When I looked at these pictures now, it reminded me of where all the contemporary concept of Decisive Moment came from. Beforehand, you would only expect to see a lady in an outdoor setting, portrayed more or less like this – pleasantly posed in perfect stillness. Self complacency, and perfect balance were mandatory, till the day the idea to break this convention has dawned on one of the most famous female painters in history: Sofonisba Anguissola. Her sketch “Boy Bitten by a Crab”, made on request of Michelangelo, must have been subsequently seen by Caravaggio, and inspired his famous work ” Boy Bitten by a Lizard”.
Lady bitten by a mosquito
What was before unthinkable to depict – a fleeting moment of emotional reaction, entered forever the arsenal of visual arts.
As I was trying to frame a portrait, my friend got bitten by a mosquito, and we came full circle from Anguissola’s Reneissance experiment to a Bressonian Decisive Moment.
I’m hearing, the bicycles are on the rise. Be it because of a better health consciousness, or perhaps more practically, because electric bikes are becoming cheaper and make pedaling easier. Whatever the reason, I like it as a concept, and I like it, because more bikers means more interesting photo opportunities.
Shadow framed bike
While the shot above is showing the entrance to the Warsaw Academy of Arts, the one below spotted a young biker taking the plunge into the famous Ulica Karowa, known for its hellish bends, covered with paved stones, that lead you down to the river.
Off to the races !
Note the Wehrmacht parade in the background – memories of past wars are present everywhere in Warsaw.
When I’m out in the streets looking for photo opportunities, I get very quickly the “flavour” of the place. In Warsaw, it’s startling how many young people are around, and I can’t help noticing, that young women there are getting increasingly attractive.
Long legged generation
Maybe, this is because I’m getting older, but more likely, because they are getting more emancipated and affluent , and invest more in stylish personal appearance. Men are still aesthetically confused, struggling to achieve similar proficiency in their outfits.
Warsaw’s female yuppies
This fresh feminine accent adds spice to the environment, and makes your day more colorful. I find this perception reflected in this short piece: “Little Lulu”.
Musica universalis, or music of the spheres, is an old metaphysical concept, ascribing sound harmonies to mathematical proportions governing the universe. Personally, I believe that we can find the same proportions in harmonious architecture, and when I find myself alone in an old city, resting my eye on surrounding buildings without the distraction of human presence, I perceive a visual effect akin to listening to music.
Notes on a wall
The broader and more imposing the view, the more symphonic the effect, the more we concentrate on detail, the more cameral and intimate becomes the music. I like to look for smaller accents, that lead me right down to a jazz ensemble.
“Rashomon”, a 1950 film by Akira Kurosawa is one of the milestones of modern cinematography. I doubt many of you have seen it, but maybe some will remember its Western version starring Paul Newman, titled “The Outrage”. The film shows multiple depictions of the same crime, obviously depending on who of the persons involved was being interrogated.
Generation clash
As photographers, we often can have a similar possibility: tell multiple stories of the same event. It only takes a change of focus, angle or vantage point, and sometimes the only thing you need, is to wait patiently for a few seconds. The most famous photographic “interpretation” has ben shown in the iconic film by Michelangelo Antonioni: “Blowup”, where a photographer discovers an unexpected story unfolding in a shot he took, by enlaging the picture. If you haven’t seen this film yet, don’t waste any more time, it is a must. BTW, the photographer’s profile has been shaped on the figure of David Bailey.
A matter of five seconds
I have decided, to terminate these posts with a piece of music, which in my perception goes well together with the photographic theme. Today, it is an unusual choice, because casually, it is not jazz.
If you are into photography at least a bit, most likely you have read about Henri Cartier Bresson, and the definition, through which he has described the philosophy of his work:
“To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of forms which give that event its proper expression.”
Caught in the act
While the underlying philosophy was formulated in the 17th Century, HCB has been thrown into photography after he has abandoned the study of painting, and was looking to find a stimulus that would clarify his interest in life. The image which made him understand, that a camera could bridge his aesthetic and social interests, was a photo by Martin Muncacsi “Three Boys at Lake Tanganiyka”. Apparently, it was the only photograph that has ever adorned the walls of his apartment.
HCB has bought his first Leica camera in 1931. What ensued, has been the most important body of photographic work of his time. In fact, he has been dubbed: “The eye of the 20th Century”. His style, later called “decisive moment photography” can be intuitively recognized by a confluence of compositional harmony, and human presence, often caught in the midst of an important event or an expressive gesture.
All reporters and street photographers who came after HCB have been influenced by him. Even today, you will find multiple photo groups on Flickr, dedicated to the decisive moment photography. When I started shooting with a rangefinder camera, and eventually bought a Leica as well, the temptation to step into HCB’s shoes was too big to be resisted.
Man walking, tree falling
This led to the development of DMCR (decisive moment conditional reflex), where a street scene reminiscent of one of HCB’s images would spur me automatically into compulsive action, or where a compositionally interesting background would freeze me for several minutes, with the camera ready at the eye, waiting for some human event to unfold, and “trigger” the picture.
Man meets shadow
I can’t help to like street photography, harmonious compositions and shooting people. While I am certainly grateful to HCB for how his art has enriched the world, I have realized, for today’s photographer it has become a burden you have to shake off, or at least relax substantially, if you want to find your own expression.
Man in a shooting range
Some escape into ugliness or banal framing, others voluntarily create an impression of random timing. I find it intuitively more natural, to look for photographs that above all tell you stories. But, perhaps, our photos are simply not good enough?
Photography is foremost about seeing. Seeing is a capacity, that benefits from frequent exercise, just like any other human endeavour. It pays to have a camera with you when you are around, and you should switch the perception to a scanning mode, like a plane pilot, when looking for inspiration. Today most people have a camera inside their mobile phone, which gives them a handy tool for practicing.
Peter Turnley, a great photo reporter, wrote in his photographic biography about the advice, which was given to him by Edouard Boubat: “Peter, if you keep your heart and your eyes open, there is a gift waiting for you at the corner of every street.”
Peter Turnley is known for many memorable and award winning photos, but the one I like the most, is precisely a child of Boubat’s recipy.
