Minutes, seconds, and milliseconds make all the difference. They are micro moments in photography. They are priceless.
It can be debilitating to know that the perfect photograph can be missed in a split second, no matter how prepared I am. It could appear with no warning, and although my eyes can see it, my camera missed or wasn't ready. When this happens, its hard not to feel like a failure. I remember the shots I missed more than the shots I captured in the most fleeting moments. They are burned in my brain. The dreadful possibility keeps me motivated to stay on my toes.
The art of capturing the perfect moment is to be in the exact right place at the exact right time with my finger on the button and my camera pointed exactly at the perfect point in the landscape. If these don't all align, then I will be left to ponder the what-if scenarios which can sometimes clutter my mind far too much.
Something encouraging happens though. Whenever the perfect moment is captured, it carries me through all of the numerous failures. It’s surely a numbers game—the more failures I sift through, the more likely a success is to occur. It's momentum carries on and gradually gains steam like a roaring locomotive.
Here are some of my favorite pictures that were ultra elusive, getting just one chance, one moment, one millisecond or "micro moment" to capture.
Enjoy.
I woke up to incredible thick fog and wanted to capture the tranquil scene. I was shooting a multi-image panorama and I just happened to be shooting the right angle at the right time. This is one of the luckiest shots I've ever taken.
As we buzzed over the Na Pali coast in Kauai in a helicopter, a break in the clouds formed a spotlight of this boat exploring the inlet. This was a gem I nabbed from the sky.
The icy morning came after an early snow. My hands were freezing but I had to capture these amazing colors of the freshly fallen leaves. The dark ominous clouds broke open to give fantastic light that lasted about ten seconds.
As we slowly made our way up the coast in Cabo San Lucas, some seagulls entered the picture to give an extra dynamic feel.
It was like my will made this picture unfold in front of me. I waited patiently to see if the sun would cross behind the opening in the beautiful rustic barn. My patience was rewarded.
Try taking a picture of your family at a reunion. Now try a horse. Now try taking a picture of two horses. Three. I was delighted to get all nine horses looking at me in a compelling composition.
The tide at Bandon Beach retreated, leaving the soaked sea stacks behind. I was drawn to the droplets of water hitting the puddle below and finally captured the moment in time I wanted.
This was quite the adventure to get this shot which makes it even more meaningful. The window of time to capture this scene appeared and disappeared quickly.
I spotted a beautiful, out-of-place leaf on the coastline. As an incoming wave was imminent, I quickly framed the shot knowing I had once chance to get a shot of the wave as it collided. 1/3200th of a second. The leaf was gone but I got the moment.
