Part 4 Reflection

The feedback for Part 4 highlighted both strengths and areas for development in my recent work on lighting and long exposure photography. I was pleased to see that my reflections on lighting and its impact were acknowledged, particularly through the exercises where I experimented with different artificial light sources. This process helped me begin to understand how various types of lighting can dramatically change the mood and outcome of a photograph.

One of the key suggestions was to explore lighting not just as a tool, but as a subject in itself. Meaning I could consider how lighting can create atmosphere, evoke emotion, and contribute to storytelling within a still life or indoor setting. While I had started to do this in the banana exercise, it was noted that the image of the “banana sunbathing” felt disconnected from the others. In hindsight, I could have embraced the humorous tone more fully by developing that narrative across the whole set. Perhaps through actions like peeling the banana or introducing props that enhanced its character. This would have created a more cohesive and playful approach.

Technically speaking, I need to improve my handling of exposure when using experimental light sources. Some of the banana images were underexposed, which resulted in a loss of tonal range. Going forward, I’ll pay closer attention to exposure and consider bracketing shots or adjusting lighting placement to ensure that the full range of tones is captured, especially in low-light setups.

In assignment 4, I was encouraged by the feedback on my choice of subject and the development of the theme through a consistent visual approach. I found Marcus Doyle’s work especially inspiring, particularly the way his use of artificial light suggests a human presence that’s just out of frame. His cinematic style gave me a new perspective on how urban night photography can feel narrative-driven even when no people are present. I need to build on this by comparing the visual strategies of different photographers more directly in my reflections, deepening my analysis.

The feedback also pointed out that the first two images in my cityscape set were brighter and quite similar to each other, which affected the overall cohesion. This reminded me of the importance of curating a final selection that feels consistent not just in subject but also in tone. I plan to reflect more critically on what each image brings to a set and explore alternative combinations of images to better understand how small tonal or compositional changes can shift the impact of the work.

I acknowledged that working without a tripod limited the sharpness of my images. In future shoots, I will either secure a stable position, using a wall or another surface, or fully embrace the motion blur, using it creatively as seen in Dominic Pote’s work. This would allow me to lean into the expressive potential of movement rather than see blur as a flaw.

In summary, this feedback has shown me that I’m on the right path with my experimentation and reflection, but there is much more I can do to push my creative and technical development. I need to treat lighting as both subject and storyteller, refine my technical control, reflect more deeply on image selection, and become more intentional about presentation. These next steps will help strengthen both the visual impact and the conceptual depth of my photographic work.

Part 3 Reflection

Reflecting on the feedback for my (In)Decisive Moment section has been a valuable experience, both in terms of refining my approach to street photography and in understanding how to strengthen my final set of images. My tutor noted the two images that stood out most: the man photographing while I photograph him and the figures focused on a camper van in the car park. These images caught my attention too, and it’s clear to me now how their composition and narrative work well as decisive moments. What I didn’t realise before was just how much potential these moments have for storytelling and for further developing the direction of my street photography.

The idea of photographing people as they photograph others is an interesting avenue to explore. There’s something captivating about capturing the interplay between photographer and subject, especially when the roles are reversed in the image. This moment gives the viewer a glimpse into the act of photography itself. Similarly with the camper van image, despite its flatness creates a solid narrative and provides a subtle story about what these people are doing. I see how these images fit into a coherent set, and this is something I want to build on as I move forward.

One of the key takeaways from my tutor’s feedback is the importance of being open to refining my work. The suggestion to reshoot and expand my ideas is something I’ll be putting into practice. I’ve already started thinking about how I can add more variety to my approach. There’s a need to capture more “decisive moments” that feel authentic, and I’m now aware of the power of getting closer to my subjects. Street photography can often benefit from a certain level of intimacy, and I’m keen to push myself out of my comfort zone in this regard. By getting physically closer to the action and exploring more varied lighting and locations, I’m confident I’ll add more depth and diversity to my imagery.

I also appreciate the suggestion to incorporate contact sheets into my process. This would give me a way to demonstrate how I am refining my choices throughout the process. I’m starting to see the value in reflecting on my contact sheets, not just as a documentation of what I shot but as a way of visually tracking my thought process and decision-making. Additionally, I’ll be using these reflections as part of my ongoing practice of sustaining creativity, as suggested by Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle. This method could help me gain deeper insights into my work, offering a more structured approach to my reflections, which will ultimately support my creative growth.

The feedback also mentioned to include images from other photographers whose work I admire. I see how this can add further depth to my own creative process. For example, street photographers like Alex Webb, Garry Winogrand, and Bruce Gilden have had a significant impact on my approach. Their ability to capture fleeting moments with a sense of narrative is something I want to emulate. Reflecting on their work, comparing their compositions, and understanding their techniques will provide valuable lessons as I refine my approach to capturing the decisive moment.

In conclusion, I’m excited to build on the ideas from this assignment and explore new ways to develop my street photography. I look forward to pushing myself further and producing a stronger, more refined set of images that truly communicate the essence of the decisive moment.

Part 2 Reflection

Working through Part 2 and Assignment 2 has helped me push my technical skills further, especially with using perspective, line, and compositional techniques in my photography. I’ve started noticing how small choices like the angle I shoot from, or the way light hitting the ground can completely change the feeling of an image.

One of the big takeaways from my tutor’s feedback was the encouragement to keep applying these techniques across different subjects, locations, and lighting conditions. As I keep practicing, I can already feel myself becoming more aware behind the camera. I’m realising that it’s not just about taking a “good” photo but about understanding what the environment gives me each time I go out to shoot. Weather, time of day, even the mood I’m in, all these things affect the image.

The reflection around the roads appearing in my final set of eight images was interesting to think about. Five out of the eight photos include the curve of a road, creating strong leading lines and offering a real sense of the ground beneath our feet. I hadn’t fully noticed this pattern when selecting them, but looking back, it feels very connected to the act of walking and moving through the landscape, which was a subconscious part of this project. It’s something I want to be more deliberate about in future assignments: reflecting on the balance of recurring elements in a set and making sure they support the story I’m telling, rather than feeling repetitive.

The feedback also pointed out the importance of visually evidencing my process more clearly through showing contact sheets, thumbnail selections, and reflections on my planning stages. I can see how this will help me deepen my creative process, by not just choosing my final images instinctively, but understanding and explaining why I’m drawn to certain frames over others. It’s about documenting the thinking behind the choices as much as the choices themselves.

Research has been another important area of focus. The advice to look at photographers whose work connects to my own ideas has opened up new possibilities. Exploring the work of Charlie Waite, Richard Long, and Matthew Chase-Daniel has already shown me how different approaches to landscape can influence not just technique, but the meaning behind an image. Including this kind of research alongside my own practice will help me build a stronger critical and contextual base for my projects. It also feels exciting to know that I can borrow methods, styles, and ways of seeing from a wide range of artists and mould them into something that feels like my own voice.

Overall, Part 2 has been a chance to slow down, look more carefully, and start layering more thought into every stage of the photographic process. I’m looking forward to planning more intentional shoots, experimenting with different locations and lighting, and paying attention to both the grand views and the tiny details under my feet.

This reflection marks an important point for me. Moving from simply capturing moments to consciously creating a body of work, built on technique, thought, and personal interpretation.

The Power of Context In Photography

As I’ve been exploring the current course materials and reading Terry Barrett’s essay “Photographs and Context”, I’ve been thinking a lot about how meaning in photography isn’t fixed. It changes depending on so many factors, from where an image is displayed to what surrounds it. This idea really resonates with something I’ve always believed: anything can be art if you give it context.

Barrett breaks down context into three types: internal, external, and original. Internal context is what we see in the photograph itself. Its subject matter, composition, colors, and emotions. External context is all about how the photograph is presented, whether it’s hanging in a gallery, posted online, or printed in a newspaper, and what words or images accompany it. Original context involves the story behind the photo, why it was taken, who took it, and under what circumstances.

This has made me realize that a photograph isn’t just about what’s captured inside the frame. It’s also about the world that surrounds it, both at the moment it’s taken and later when it’s shown to others. Its meaning can shift depending on when, where, and how we experience it.

I also found Quentin Bajac’s conversation with Paul Graham really inspiring. They talked about how even if you set out with a strong idea in mind, the real world will inevitably change it. You have to stay open and let yourself be “seduced” by what you encounter. This fluid relationship between planning and perception feels really important, not just for photography, but for creativity as a whole.

Reflecting on all this has made me more aware that as I continue photographing, I’m also building a context around my work. It’s not just about taking “good” photos, it’s about telling a story, creating a feeling, and deciding how I want my work to be seen and interpreted. And I love that. It reminds me that even the smallest, most everyday moments can become meaningful art if they are framed and presented thoughtfully.

Moving forward, I’m excited to embrace this more intentional way of working. Holding space for both my ideas and the unexpected beauty of real life.

5.1 – Distance Between Us

For this exercise, I chose my dog as the subject. Someone I share everyday closeness with, but who also moves in and out of connection depending on mood, environment, and attention. Using my camera as a measuring device, I wanted to explore not just the physical space between us, but the emotional shifts that occur as that space changes.

I began by photographing him indoors while he was sleeping. I kept quiet and respectful, moving slowly as I took each frame. The first images were taken from across the room, with his body curled up and relaxed, unaware of my presence. As I crept closer, I captured the gradual awareness building in him, a twitch of the ear, a shift of his body, and finally, direct eye contact with the lens. That moment of eye contact felt like a bridge being built, the space between us closing not just in proximity, but in presence.

Later, I took the camera outside as he wandered freely, nose to the ground, totally absorbed in the world of smells. At first, I hung back and simply observed, capturing his movements from afar. Then came the shift: he noticed me. In an instant, he broke into a joyful run towards me, tail wagging and barking, full of playful energy. I kept shooting as he circled around me, as if inviting me into the game. The photos became chaotic, slightly blurred and full of motion. The camera now recording not distance, but the collapse of it.

My favourite image comes from the first sequence. It’s the frame where he’s just woken, still resting, but looking directly into the camera. There’s a quiet connection there. He’s not performing, not reacting, just being, and meeting me in that moment.

This exercise made me aware of how photography can document not only presence but the relationship. The distance between a photographer and their subject isn’t just spatial. It can be emotional, energetic, even ethical.

The two sequences revealed different sides of our connection. One tender, still and slow, The other wild, energetic and playful. It also reminded me to look beyond the shot I planned and stay open to what the image reveals. The movement, the blur, the unexpected expressions. They all became part of the story. As Alexia Clorinda suggests, I included what I didn’t mean to do, and it made the work more honest.

Contact Sheet

4.3: Egg or Stone – Ex Nihilo

This exercise was about creating light from scratch, building it “ex nihilo” instead of discovering it out in the world. With no natural lighting to rely on, I had to build an environment where I could fully control the light’s quality, contrast, direction and colour to reveal the form of a simple, organic object.

I chose to work with an egg, focusing on how light could bring out its shape, surface and presence within the frame. I placed the egg on a small lid so that it would stand up by itself. My “studio” was minimal. I used a desk with a lamp as my main light source. Two pieces of white paper created the background.

The first image was a classic soft portrait, with the lamp placed just above and slightly behind the camera, directly facing the egg. This created soft, even lighting that gently wrapped around the egg, producing minimal shadows and a neutral, balanced mood. It felt clean and simple. A kind of lighting you might use for a traditional headshot or product photo.

For the second shot, I moved the light to a 45-degree angle to the side of the egg. This created a much more dramatic look, with strong contrast between the illuminated and shadowed areas. The hard light brought out the shape and curvature of the egg more clearly, carving it out from the background and giving it a sculptural, intense presence.

In the third shot, I kept the light in the same 45-degree side position but changed the camera angle to a bird’s eye view. Looking down on the egg from above created a more abstract composition, where the sideways shadows fell across the surface in interesting ways. It felt less like a portrait and more like a study of form and space.

The fourth shot used backlighting to shift the mood completely. I positioned the lamp behind the egg, angled slightly toward it, so that the light created a glow around the edges. The front of the egg fell into shadow, which made exposure a bit trickier, but the result had a soft halo effect and a mysterious, dramatic feel. It almost looked like the egg was silhouetted, which was a nice change from the earlier setups.

Finally, the fifth shot placed the light directly overhead, while the camera returned to a front-on portrait position. This setup created a symmetrical spotlight effect, with soft shadows falling evenly around the base of the egg. It flattened the form a little but gave the image a clean, graphic look, almost like a product shot, but with a more focused, isolated mood.

What really stood out to me in this task was just how much impact small lighting changes can have. Shifting the position of the lamp or changing the angle of the camera altered the entire feel of the photo. Even with a simple object and a minimal setup, there were endless possibilities. It reminded me that in studio photography, the light becomes the subject in many ways. It’s not just what you’re photographing, but how you reveal it.

This was a great chance to practice being deliberate and thoughtful with lighting, and I came away with a deeper appreciation for how light behaves and how much control you really have over it, even with the most basic tools.

4.2 – Artificial Light

For this exercise, I wanted to focus on observing and capturing the unique qualities of artificial light rather than just using it to light up a subject. I wanted to pay attention to the mood the light created, not just whether the image was correctly exposed.

Neon Light

The first set of images was taken indoors using a rainbow neon light in a bedroom. I noticed how the light didn’t just brighten the room but actually altered the atmosphere, adding color, shape, and softness to the space. In the first image, the light was casting a strong glow onto the nearby wall, spreading the colored light and creating a soft, ambient effect. The light looked less like a direct source and more like a color wash across the room. The settings were 1/250 sec, f/4.5, ISO 800. The exposure allowed for a balanced shot that captured the glow, but the light appeared more diffused and soft, with the reflection playing just as big a role as the light source itself.

For the second image, I changed the shutter speed to 1/1000 sec while keeping the aperture and ISO the same. This adjustment reduced the light captured from the surroundings, making the neon sign itself appear much bolder, sharper, and more defined. The settings were 1/1000 sec, f/4.5, ISO 800. The glow on the wall was almost entirely lost in this shot, and the light became the main focus of the composition. I liked how this created a more graphic, contrast-heavy look compared to the softer atmosphere in the first photo. It also reminded me of the difference between ambient light and direct light in studio setups, even though this was a bedroom scene.

Computer Screen Light

The next two photos I took were of a computer screen in a room. I found this setup interesting because the computer acts as both the subject and the light source.

In the first image, I adjusted the camera settings to 1/100 sec, f/5, ISO 800 until the exposure looked balanced to my eye. The result was a fairly accurate representation of how the scene looked. The screen wasn’t overly bright, and the room was just dark enough to give the photo a sense of contrast.

For the second image, I deliberately adjusted my settings, so the exposure meter was set at 0, which required lowering the shutter speed to 1/60. This change brightened the overall image, especially the room around the screen, and reduced the intensity of the screen glow, making the environment more visible. It was a simple but useful demonstration of how adjusting to the meter’s “perfect exposure” isn’t always the most atmospheric choice. Sometimes slightly underexposing gives the scene a more natural or dramatic look.

Bedroom Lamp Light

Next, I photographed a lamp in a dark bedroom, which gave me a chance to see how artificial light changes the mood depending on exposure choices.

In the first shot, I set my camera to 1/200 sec, f/4.5, ISO 1600. I kept the exposure meter at 0 by using a high ISO and moderate shutter speed. This gave me an evenly lit scene, where the lamp’s light filled the room and softened the shadows.

For the second shot, I set it to 1/250 sec, f/4.5, ISO 800. I wanted the light to feel more moody and intimate, so I adjusted the settings to darken the exposure. I reduced the ISO and used a slightly faster shutter speed, which kept the lamp’s glow more contained and the rest of the room dimmer.

This comparison showed me how important intention is when shooting with artificial light. It isn’t just about making sure a photo is properly exposed but about using exposure to shape the feeling of the scene.

Street Light & Car Headlights

After experimenting indoors, I moved outside after dark to capture the effect of streetlights and passing car headlights.

In my first outdoor image, I used the settings ISO 6400, f/8, 1/20s. My goal wasn’t to photograph the light source itself, but rather to show the way the artificial light shaped and illuminated the space creating an orange glow throughout. This light felt very different from the sharp, direct rays of sunlight; it was more localized and atmospheric.

For the next two shots, I experimented with slow shutter speeds to introduce movement and play with the exposure of the scene. I set the shutter to 1/4s and kept the ISO at 6400 to compensate for the low light. The first image came out too bright with an aperture of f/14, so I adjusted the aperture to f/20 for the next shot, which created a better balance and allowed the glow from the streetlights and the streaks of car headlights to be more visible without overexposing the scene.

Reflection

Comparing these artificial light shots to the daylight images I captured in Exercise 4.1, the differences are striking. Daylight typically produces a more natural and evenly distributed light, whereas artificial light often creates strong contrasts, defined edges, and a particular mood or atmosphere.

Artificial sources like neon, lamps, and streetlights introduce a wide range of color temperatures, which can create mixed and sometimes conflicting tones within the same frame. I found this especially interesting when car headlights and streetlights interacted in the same shot. The cool white light of the headlights contrasted against the warm orange glow of the streetlamps, creating a layered and dynamic composition.

Using artificial light, I felt like I had more creative freedom to manipulate the mood of the scene, especially by adjusting shutter speed and aperture to control exposure and the way light shaped the space.

One thing I learned during this exercise is how much potential there is for creative experimentation with slow shutter speeds. While I was happy with the balance I achieved at 1/4s, in future shoots I’d like to slow the shutter even more to capture more defined and fluid light trails. Especially with moving light sources like car headlights. I think this could help add a stronger sense of motion and energy to my night photography.

4.1 – Daylight

While preparing for this exercise, I explored the work of Eugène Atget, whose street photography I was already drawn to earlier in the course. What stood out to me this time was how his approach to light shifted throughout his career. In his early photographs, Atget used bright, even midday light, which helped create clear, shadowless scenes and emphasized the documentary nature of his work. However, in his later images, I noticed he began using early morning light to introduce deeper shadows and a more atmospheric mood. This change in lighting created more emotional weight and turned ordinary streets into places that felt timeless and quiet.

I was inspired by this shift when shooting my own images for this exercise. I waited until the light was softer, around sunrise or sunset, to capture not just the subject but the mood the light created. Like Atget, I found that the quality of the light changed the entire feeling of the scene, making the same street feel either clear and factual or mysterious and reflective depending on the time of day.

For my own photos, I decided to focus on the changing light during the evening as the sun was going down. I wanted to observe how the light affected both the appearance and the mood of my surroundings, particularly through shadows, highlights, and color.

Image 1: Trees & Sunlight on Leaves
The first image I captured shows the tops of some trees as the low sun caught the leaves at different angles. I noticed how the light changed the colors of the leaves. The ones in direct sunlight appeared vibrant and warm, while the shaded areas stayed cooler and more muted. The settings were 1/80 sec, f/10, ISO 400. The smaller aperture helped keep more of the scene in focus, allowing the contrast between light and shadow to stand out clearly.

Image 2: Sunstar Through Leaves
In the second image, I positioned myself so the sun was breaking through the tree leaves and adjusted my settings to create a sun star effect. The settings were 1/500 sec, f/8, ISO 400. The smaller aperture helped define the star shape, while the faster shutter speed controlled the exposure against the bright sun.

Images 3–6: Testing Settings for Light & Exposure
For the next set of four images, I experimented with different settings while keeping a similar composition. I wanted to see how adjustments would affect the exposure and overall feel of the image as the light faded.

Image 3: 1/4000 sec, f/8, ISO 400
Image 4: 1/4000 sec, f/16, ISO 400
Image 5: 1/500 sec, f/8, ISO 100
Image 6: 1/500 sec, f/8, ISO 400

The first two images are very similar, but I adjusted the aperture from f/8 to f/16 to test depth and sharpness, while maintaining the same shutter and ISO. The last two show how lowering the ISO to 100 in image 5 required a careful balance with the available light compared to ISO 400 in image 6. This part of the exercise taught me how changing one setting directly affects the others, especially when trying to preserve the natural feel of the scene.

Images 7 & 8: Chasing Light on the Walk Back
As I was walking back to the car, the sun was almost set, and I spotted an interesting composition. I took two images, one landscape and one portrait, to compare how framing would affect the sense of space. Since the light was dropping fast, I had to change my settings between the two shots even though the composition was the same.

Image 7 (Landscape): 1/500 sec, f/8, ISO 800
Image 8 (Portrait): 1/500 sec, f/16, ISO 3200

Despite the big difference in aperture and ISO, both images look very similar, showing how adjusting exposure settings can compensate for fading natural light without changing the visual outcome too much. This also highlighted how flexible light management can be in manual mode.

Throughout this exercise, I realised that natural light doesn’t just illuminate a subject. It can completely change the emotion and meaning of a photograph. I learned that even small adjustments to aperture, ISO, and shutter speed allowed me to either capture the light more truthfully or control the mood to suit how I felt in the moment.

Experimenting with different compositions and exposures, especially when the light was fading, gave me the chance to be more deliberate and thoughtful about when to press the shutter, rather than rushing to capture the scene before the light disappeared.

Looking at the work of Eugène Atget also encouraged me to slow down and let the light speak for itself, especially in the final two images, where the falling light made the ordinary scene feel more meaningful. A similar quality I admire in his street photographs.

This exercise helped me to develop both my technical control and my creative thinking, especially in recognizing how light can turn an everyday moment into something expressive. I believe this shows growth towards the Creativity criteria, as I was not only experimenting with different camera settings but also making intentional decisions based on how the light made me feel.

Bibliography

International Center of Photography (ICP). (n.d.). Hotel de Clermont-Tonnerre, Rue de Cherche-Midi. Eugène Atget. At: https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/objects/hotel-de-clermont-tonnerre-rue-de-cherche-midi [accessed 19/04/25]

Light Meter Test

Photography literally means “light writing”. It comes from the Greek language; phos meaning light and graphie meaning writing. Whether using film cameras or digital, light is the core ingredient that makes the photo. Cameras use a light meter to measure how much light is in the scene. In auto and semi-auto modes, the camera can’t tell if something is actually black and white so it tries to balance the exposure around the mid-tone which is neutral grey.

Auto/Semi-Auto Mode

First, I set my camera to Program Mode (P), a semi-automatic setting where the camera handles both aperture and shutter speed. I kept ISO at the default and made sure the exposure compensation was set to zero. I took three separate photos, framing each so that each tone, black, grey, or white) filled the viewfinder entirely.

When I reviewed the images, I noticed that all three looked fairly similar in brightness, despite their real-world differences. The black cloth looked too light, and the white paper looked duller and darker than expected. The histograms for each photo were also almost identical, clustered around the middle of the graph.

This made it clear: the camera’s light meter was trying to balance each scene to match a mid-tone grey, rather than recording the true tone of the subject. A black surface, a grey floor, and a white paper were all treated the same, even though they clearly weren’t.

Manual Mode

After testing in Program Mode, I switched my camera to Manual Mode (M). I set the ISO to 400 and the aperture to f/5.6, then adjusted the shutter speed for each photo until the exposure looked right in the viewfinder. I photographed the same three subjects, black cloth, grey floor, and white paper, framing them exactly as before.

This time, the results were much more accurate. The black cloth stayed dark, the grey floor appeared as a true mid-tone, and the white paper looked bright, just as I expected it to. When I checked the histograms, they clearly reflected these differences:

The black cloth histogram sat further to the left.
The grey floor was positioned neatly in the center.
The white paper shifted further to the right.

Adjusting the exposure manually gave me much more control over the final image, and the histograms confirmed that the camera was now recording the tones correctly, rather than trying to average everything to a mid-grey.

Reflection

At first, I struggled to fully understand this exercise. It was hard to get my head around how the camera’s light meter interprets a scene and why the images looked so similar in auto mode, even though the subjects were completely different in real life.

Once I switched to manual mode and started adjusting the shutter speed myself, the results finally clicked into place. Seeing the histograms shift, with the black photo sitting to the left, the grey in the middle, and the white to the right, helped me understand how much control I actually have over exposure when I’m not relying on the camera to make decisions for me.

This exercise really highlighted the difference between allowing the camera to guess the exposure, and making those decisions as the photographer. Although it took me a bit of trial and error to work it out, it’s made me feel more confident using manual mode going forward, especially in situations where the lighting is consistent.

Assignment 3 – The (In)decisive Moment

For this assignment, I wanted to explore the photographic concept of the decisive moment. A term famously associated with Henri Cartier-Bresson, while also reflecting on the opposite: the quiet, unresolved indecisive moment. Both ideas fascinated me, especially as I noticed that the world around me is constantly moving, yet most human behavior falls somewhere between pause and flow. By observing people in public spaces, I became aware of just how many seemingly uneventful moments can hold visual tension and emotion.

My photographic series was captured around Melbourne, specifically near the waterfront, parks, and urban streets. I allowed myself to photograph whatever naturally unfolded rather than wait too long for the “perfect” moment. This approach allowed me to observe how the two themes emerged organically in the everyday.

Decisive Moments:

I define a decisive moment as that instant when all elements in a scene such as light, shape, subject, and background, align to create a visually complete and emotionally satisfying image. These images don’t require explanation; their strength lies in the clarity of the moment.

One example is a photo of a couple sitting on a bench as the world moves past behind them. Their stillness creates a powerful contrast against the life flowing around them. Similarly, another couple sat on the grass nearby, absorbed in their own world, creating an intimate moment that felt timeless even in a busy setting. A third example captured a man raising his camera to photograph the Melbourne skyline. A split-second alignment of human intention and environmental beauty.

Indecisive Moments:

The indecisive moments in this series focus on the unspectacular but quietly telling in-between states. These are fragments of time where the narrative feels incomplete or paused, inviting curiosity.

One image shows a woman stopping mid-walk to check her phone. Her stillness hints at disconnection from her surroundings, almost as if the world kept moving while she stood still. Another photograph shows people waiting at a crossing, their postures loaded with anticipation. Finally, a family captured just before climbing into a minivan reflects a similar idea: the moment before action, where energy is held rather than released.

Perhaps the most compelling example of this theme came about unintentionally. As I descended an escalator onto a train platform, I captured people waiting for the train below. The resulting image had a grainy texture, partly due to the lighting conditions and motion, which echoed the aesthetic of a film camera. The grain, combined with the quiet, anticipatory scene, enhanced the sense of suspended time.

Reflection:

Throughout this assignment, I was reminded of Alberto Giacometti’s insights on the conflict between seeing the whole and focusing on detail. Despite Giacometti being a masterful draughtsman, he found it almost impossible to concentrate on the entire figure without losing sight of its individual parts and vice versa. He learned that rather than forcing concentration, the answer was to allow the eye and brain to flow naturally between the two. I felt a similar shift when photographing this series. The most successful moments came when I stopped trying to “control” the scene and allowed instinct to guide me.

Photographically, this project has taught me that both decisive and indecisive moments hold value, and both require patience and observation to capture. The key isn’t always about seizing action, but rather recognizing when a composition, whether resolved or suspended, can hold emotional or visual interest.

This assignment allowed me to reflect on the everyday with a new eye, noticing patterns and pauses I’d usually overlook. By embracing both sides of the moment, I feel my understanding of photographic timing and visual storytelling has deepened.

Influences

Henri Cartier-Bresson — The Decisive Moment
Alberto Giacometti — on perception and the relationship between part and whole
Ruth Bernhard — “If you are not willing to see more than is visible, you won’t see anything.”
Street photographers such as Joel Meyerowitz and Matt Stuart, who celebrate both the unexpected and the understated in public scenes.

Bibliography

Cartier-Bresson, H. (1952). The Decisive Moment. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Lord, J. (1965). Giacometti: A Biography. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Meyerowitz, J. (n.d.). Joel Meyerowitz. [online] At: https://www.joelmeyerowitz.com/ [accessed 12/04/25].

Stuart, M. (n.d.). Matt Stuart Photography. [online] At: https://www.mattstuart.com/ [accessed 12/04/25].