For this month, August 2023, the theme challenge is “The Decisive Moment“, which could be defined as; a slice of time when all the elements in the camera’s frame come together to make the best possible image, as an example shown here when a white-tailed deer is attempting to grab the young boy’s hat through a fence at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park.
From a photographic point of view, a basic suggested formula for a successful image is; good exposure, creative technique, good composition, an interesting subject, appropriate light, and “the decisive moment”. In many cases the decisive moment or lack there of can make or break the image. The basics to help improve your ability to capture a decisive moment in your photoraphs; 1) being in the right place for the subject, 2) framing/composition, 3) focus, 4) being there at the right time for the appropriate light, 5) patience, and 6) waiting for the anticipated exact moment to press the shutter button.
Let’s discuss the behind the scenes creating some images which are examples of the decisive moment while we go through the wildlife images shown below. The first image showing Northern Gannets beak tapping or rubbing is supposedly a ritual they do when one returns to the nest, as we witnessed on our trip to Bonaventure Island, near Percé Quebec Canada to see one of the largest Northern Gannet Colonies in Eastern Canada, on the northeastern side of the island. The next image of the young porcupine showing it’s curiosity happened in my back yard, as the porcupine started to walk away I got down on the ground about 20 feet away and started to talk saying “where are you going” a few times and then the porcupine sat down then turned to see who was talking and looked right at the camera, it was a very special moment. The image of the fox pups competing for an unfortunate mouse was pretty exciting as they were running around the field in Blandford Nova Scotia in which this image was the closest the second pup got to the one holding it’s prize. With the image of the common loon flapping it’s wings, usually done to dry off their wings after many dives for food typically only takes place after they have completed feeding. However, in this image shows the loon is still holding a crab in it’s mouth at the peak of it’s wing motion. The next image of only the head of a Red-breasted Merganser, took getting to a low angle with the ocean and then waiting for the duck to float behind the rolling waves to just expose only his head. The image of the Common Tern fishing in Lower Shoal Harbour at Clarenville Newfoundland revealed the birds catch as it was lifting out of the water with the fish in it’s beak. Finally wrapping up the wildlife examples, a Grey Seal off Backman Road in Bayswater Nova Scotia showing his big Yawn was a moment that I waited for about 45 minutes to happen with being as close and as low as possible to the ocean and also being at a good angle at the same time.
For portraits it’s a bit more subtle, as in theory the subject(s) would already be engaged with the photographer, but its that little extra with the decisive moment that can make the image better, just a wave, a laugh, the lifting of a glass, a great smile, or something unexpected happening. As briefly mentioned above the image of the young boy at the Wildlife Park would not be as interesting if the interaction between the white-tailed deer and the boy was not occurring when the shutter was pushed. The image of the Crewman up in the rigging of the Bluenose II is a more interesting image with him waving while engaged with the camera pointed at him. The Bride & Groom at the Petite Riviere Vineyard during their reception smiling and raising their wine glasses makes a possible mundane photo a much more beautiful photo.
With Landscapes and special Events it’s more about the placement of the subject, whats going on around the subject, and the light. During a moon-rise, which is only possible once during the monthly cycle to have the right ambient light, it’s important to pick an additional subject that will complement the main subject, wait for the light to provide colour in the clouds that are complimentary to the blue sky, and wait for the moon to not only be in the frame but be at a good height for the subjects. The sunset at Percé Rock in Quebec Canada was taken from the rocky shoreline at the edge of the ocean while the wave was crashing to complement the leading line of the shoreline and with the warm light created by the reflected sun light which was setting behind from the west creating the light in the clouds behind the rock. The silhouette image of the flock of Canada Geese flying across the ocean just at the right time crossing in front of the frame during an amazing sunset at Upper Blandford Road Nova Scotia definitely makes the image more interesting. The sunset image at Red Bank Beach was shot just as the sun was setting on the horizon with the backwash of the water around the foreground rock. On a foggy morning at Bayswater Beach Park the sun rays were showing through the trees due to the interaction with the fog in the atmosphere providing interesting light on the Fish & Chip Wagon highlighting that they have been serving the community for over 35 years. The image of the clouds, that sort of look like the head of a Dragon, was moving closer and closer to the moon, which I waited until the moon was in the position of the Eye Of The Dragon to press the shutter a number of times to get the exact decisive moment. In the case of fireworks, its a matter of using a longer shutter speed between 2 – 4 seconds and press the shutter when you start seeing the launch and there will be enough time to capture the burst of the light as well as recording the light as it raises from the ground to the sky at the same time.
With sports, you need to practice to get a bit more experience so that you can anticipate when those special moments could possibly occur. It’s a matter of being in the right position with appropriate light to give you the chance of capturing that exact moment of interest. Typically you have your camera in high speed burst mode and hold the shutter for just a few seconds to capture a small number of frames to give you a better chance of getting the moment you were hoping for. In the images below you can see the moments of action that were captured to help give the image more interest.
We hope that the above examples were helpful and as always with our monthly theme challenges we try to seek out additional instructional resources, below are a few YouTube video links to give you some hints and ideas on how to make better photographs considering the decisive moment:
■ Decisive Moment – Exploring Photography with Mark Wallace – Adorama TV (7min 51 sec)
■ Decisive Moment Photo Challenge by Mike Browne (12min 18sec)
■ Learning How to Capture the Decisive Moment in Photography and Reviewing YOUR Images! by Marc Silber (1hr 27min 12sec)
■ Does photographing a moment steal the experience from you? with Erin Sullivan by TED (8min 23sec)
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An important part of improving your photography is practice, which is one aspect of the monthly theme challenge in addition you have an opportunity to learn about different genres, techniques and tips. Don’t forget to practice, practice, practice, it will really help improve your photos a lot.
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