The Ongoing Moment

[SuzanneR]

Just found this review

www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2005/11/27/a_constant_dialogue_among_cameras/?page=1

for a book called "The Ongoing Moment" by Geoff Dyer. Looks like a very interesting read.

 

[rbarker]

Ongoing moment? Sounds rather indecisive to me.

Or, perhaps the author prefers video?

 

[df cardwell]

Just found this review

www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2005/11/27/a_constant_dialogue_among_cameras/?page=1

for a book called "The Ongoing Moment" by Geoff Dyer. Looks like a very interesting read.

Yes !

 

[Jorge]

From the article I dont know that I need a book and a self professed critic of all things to tell me there is nothing new under the sun. If this is the gist of the book I find it rather shallow and simplistic.

If we are to adopt this point of view we might as well close up all the museums and galleries and go home. While there have been many "style" movements in all the arts, they all do the same thing. A landscape painting is a landscape, no matter if it is done impressionistic, pointilistic, etc. A sculpture is a sculpture, it can be modern or not, it can be of a weird thing or not...but it is all the same and most likely something similar has been done before.

Photo journalism is different than fine art and the photographs should not be considered in isolation, they should considered in the context of the times. A photograph of a sailor kissing a woman 55 years ago is an exceptional thing, public displays of affection were not common then and the fact that it was done in such an exuberant manner shows the sailor's happiness, today it would be a nothing picture. I think Dyer misses this completely and goes for the easy shot....typical of self professed experts on everything.

 

[rbarker]

Jorge - while I mostly agree with your comments, you have to admire the guy for being able to convice a publisher to put the thing in print.

 

[Jorge]

Jorge - while I mostly agree with your comments, you have to admire the guy for being able to convice a publisher to put the thing in print.

Yep, sometimes self promotion is more valuable than the product...

 

[Gary892]

It seems to me Mr. Dyer (sp) is making a contradiction. He implies that everything has already been photographed and photographers are just repeating the same shots. Then the author quotes Mr. Dyer(sp) talking about how men's hats represents the changing times by referring to photographs of men's hats before, during, and after the Great Depression. Well, if photographers did make images of the same thing then there would be no reference to men's hats during the period mentioned.

In my opinion, even if every photographer photographed the same object each one would interpret the same item different and bring something unique to the image.

 

[celluloidpropaganda]

I just added The Ongoing Moment to my Amazon cart and thought I'd revive this. The conclusions reached by Jorge and Gary here seem odd, as nothing I've read about the book or in the article they're referring to point that way.

Writing about a continual dialogue between photography of different generations is hardly "the same thing over and over."

 

[livemoa]

Ongoing moment? Sounds rather indecisive to me.

Or, perhaps the author prefers video?

Sugimoto has joked that he will call his autobiography "The Indecisive Moment".

Looks like an interesting book from the review, and with a background in history I like his links and threads. Might just get a copy.

I also get the feeling he knows what he is talking about and loves the subject. No bad thing.

 

[firecracker]

The book review reminds me of John Berger's "Ways of Seeing", which is (or was, at least) a deconstructionist theory book.

Meanwhile, I've just found out about the exhibit of Cartier-Bresson's work (over 400 prints) in Osaka, Japan, which will end this weekend. So, that's my top priority right now.

 

[André E.C.]

I have the book, it`s a different aproach to photography!
Not bad for a non-photographer.

Cheers

André

 

[SuzanneR]

I have the book, it`s a different aproach to photography!
Not bad for a non-photographer.

Cheers

André

This is true Andre, and I finally read the book. As you say, it has some interesting ideas, and I think for folks who don't know the history of photography, they might well find it an enlightening read. It is a unique approach to the history of the medium.

But I have to say, when I finished the book, the ideas felt, well, obvious.

YMMV.

Best,
Suzanne

 

[André E.C.]

But I have to say, when I finished the book, the ideas felt, well, obvious.

Ditto, Suzanne!

Cheers

André

 

[b1ltr1te]

Never read the review, but am half-way through the book. It's not bad, in fact, it's kind of interesting and somewhat enjoyable, though I find parts of it trite and I disagree with other parts.

I suggest picking it up and reading it; when I'm finished you can have my copy.

 

[tim atherton]

It is quite Bergeresque (which isn't a surprise as he has written on Berger). Also, like Berger, it does in a way seem slightly obvious once you have read it, but that being said, the chances are that you hadn't actually thought about a particular photograph or photographer in that way before... So it probably isn't quite as self evident as you perhaps first thought

In addition, I must say some of the most amusing an intriguing parts were things like Steiglitz's sexual proclivities and his obsession with "kneading", his seduction of Strands wife, the missing porno/clinical shots of O'Keeffe, the size of W. Evan's penis ('enormous") and Weston's letter to the Board of MoMA in praise of pubic hair...