The decisive moment
The decisive moment is a concept introduced by Magnum co-founder Henri Cartier-Bresson to designate the right moment to take a picture. It refers to capturing an event that is ephemeral and spontaneous, where the image represents the essence of the event itself. Henri Cartier-Bresson was known (and is still known today) for his ability to capture scenes at their peak of action. He described these ephemeral moments as scenes that escalate before deconstructing themselves and vanishing for ever, the photographer’s goal being to capture scenes on the edge. Bresson even described his profession as being a tightrope walker.
Part three
The process of taking a picture can be divided into three main parts:
Part one is dedicated to creation (i.e composition). It begins when you look for something to photograph. You go out with your camera and the game is on, part one begins. During that part, you draw the first contact with your subject, this first contact being the moment you discover it. Your subject can be anything and once you discovered it, you immediately start thinking about framing. Note that you don’t need your camera during part one. You draw an image in your head that you want to reproduce with your camera. Once you got that image, part one ends and part two begins.
Part two is dedicated to your camera. During this part, you will deal with the effects of light, exposure, depth of field and motion on your image. In other words, you will set proper white balance (if needed), aperture, exposure time and sensitivity on your camera. Once it’s done, part two ends and part three begins.
Part three is dedicated to your subject, everything regarding your camera except focus being already dealt with. This part is made of patience and expectations while keeping track of your subject, and ends when you release the shutter or when the scene vanishes for ever.
Having these three parts structured inside your head and organizing the process of taking a picture in this order can help you more than you think. The reason for this is when dealing with part number three, you must totally forget about the camera.
‘I kept walking the streets, high-strung, and eager to snap scenes of convincing reality, but mainly I wanted to capture the quintessence of the phenomenon in a single image. Photographing, for me, is instant drawing, and the secret is to forget you are carrying a camera.’ – Henri Cartier-Bresson
The right moment is when the scene takes its final and definitive shape, the shape it will keep forever on photographic film, on a computer screen, on paper or on other supports yet to come.
