So continuing the variety of things where debatably, an instant, or moment, might be decisive to it being a picture or not, for me her reaction here on seeing what she was walking past, made a nice DM:

P1170209 by Mike Longhurst, on Flickr

I think there would be no DM here if his foot had not landed where it did, but is it a valid one?:

P1150042 by Mike Longhurst, on Flickr

I wanted to imply that dubious things go on in these alleys. Did her reaction make a DM that delivered that?

P3251086 by Mike Longhurst, on Flickr

 

Yes exactly. The point of the post. We don't know until people post more possibles and debate ensues around whether they are, or aren't.

Personally I think most of Tony's clearly are. Andrew's man taking a swig is not, bus queue with guy signalling is. Cat for me is not. Gray's batsman is. But until people support why they saw that moment as the instant that created the picture, we only have our own impressions to go on.

 

That's all we ever have. There is no objectivity in these things - only subjectivity in the mind of the viewer.

 

So if someone thinks this depicts a decisive moment, their view is valid and may not be contested? I think you know what I think of that as a POV.

_9080972 by Mike Longhurst, on Flickr

 

By George! I think he's got it.

 

She's walkin' on sunshine...

 

First one here, no, I don't consider this a DM, merely a street scene with two barely making it into the frame. Their expressions don't make it a DM

Second one, yes, I do consider this a DM although a relatively easy one to get. Is it valid to wait and watch? Probably, but I find it doesn't give the element of chance in the finished image.

Third no. There's no wow! How did he/she capture that for me.

 

I suppose the real trick is to capture the decisive moment when all the angels jump off the head of the pin at once...

 

OR 11pm 31st October 2019?

 

Since we are getting close to that time.



Early, dark, visit to the supermarket. Ballet moves.

 

So I don't know whether these are DM's but wanted to post so I could see how others viewed them as I'm really interested in everyone's interpretation pf the decisive moment.
For some reason, I knew that the second photo would be the only shot I would keep even though I must've photographed that corridor 50 times on that day. Does anyone get a moment when they're photographing and they just know without looking, that it is the one? I think that's an interesting point of the decisive moment.

 

Think you are right on the first. Unless you know what she is reacting to, it is not a moment at all. But you might get it eventually.

Again the third relies on knowing it was part of the seedier side of life, so you'd make a connection, so probably right again.

Not sure what you mean on the second. How does anyone know I was waiting for something to happen if I don't tell them? How does easy / hard come into it? In fact it was third visit, the previous two producing nothing. It was one of the hardest.

 

First and third I think yes. First is really good. Not sure the glance in third is really strong enough. Second, looking at watch is not discontinuous for me. It doesn't connect to anything.

 

I have occassionally wondered if Henri Cartier-Bresson was simply pulling the leg with the bells on when he started this "decisive moment" thing. Still, I do like catching the moment when people and other animals do something arresting...

 

I accept entirely that if someone is that dumb, it is a complete waste of time to argue with them.

 

The thing is (to me) that an image which is described as a decisive moment shouldn't need the environment or circumstanced explained. For me, it should jump out of the image on its own.

 

That pretty much qualifies. I think he was setting a principle for a whole genre that followed. He took Street out of pure record.

 

It has to.

 

I also think the "decisive moment" can just be when the light catches an object in an interesting way...