How to Capture the Decisive Moment in Portrait Photography
We’ve heard about Henri Cartier-Bresson and the decisive moment, right? But the question is, how do we capture that moment when photographing people?
The key word is patience. As photographers, we need to have patience. Watch and wait and be ready to take (make) the shot.
For magazine articles, for example, photographing people, don’t just pose the subject(s) but rather try to engage in brief conversations with them to get a (specific) reaction from them. Also, consider body language, and capture gesture.
Here are a few examples:
Let the subject tell their story. Maybe engage the subject in brief conversations to get a reaction, and facial expression and connect with the subject. Watch as they show, don’t tell, and be ready to capture the decisive moment:
Or, if photographing a speech or performance, watch (and listen to) the subject(s) as they perform, perhaps capture them as they look or point right at the camera, or capture critical moments in their gestures, facial expressions, (pose) that express the mood and feeling you’re after, and tell the story.
Or, sometimes, maybe capture a tender, funny, or perhaps even adventurous moment:
The idea is to be ready to capture the decisive moment. And part of that is…patience.
As always, thank you for stopping by!
Alina Oswald 