The decisive moment is a notion in street photography worth considering. It refers to capturing a fleeting moment that occurs spontaneously as the photograph displays the essence of the moment itself.
Timing is critical
When it comes to photographing decisive moments, it’s important to be in tune with the flow of the streets. A photographer that is eager, yet patient and always observing life is more prone to having good timing. What this means is, you are always ready to pounce like a hunter would be. You must be ready to press the shutter at the right moment when the spontaneous event occurs.
Anticipation
A street photographer should always be prepared. The most practical way to do this is by anticipating moments before they actually occur. One way to do this is by always observing life so that you understand the patterns within human behavior. I like to watch the hands of people and the gestures they make or observe the feet of people and how they dance upon the street. I also find that studying the patterns of birds in flight and pigeons as they move can help me become more in tune and anticipate when the decisive moment will occur.
Preparation
With street photography, it is important to always carry a camera with you. You never know when these moments will pass you by, so I suggest a camera that you will never leave the house without. My current setup is the Ricoh GRIII as it is pocketable and easy to use. When you are prepared with the camera, you are always ready to photograph with speed as the moments occur.
Intuition
A decisive photographer listens to their gut and intuition. Through practice and repetition, we can hone our skills and are ready for the moments that are ever so fleeting. The only way to become better at photographing decisive moments is making more pictures. This sort of thing doesn’t require any studying, but only doing. If anything, study the street! Become in tune with the beat of the street and get ready to press that shutter before the moment fleets.