---
product_id: 8561155
title: "Capturing The Moment: The Essence of Photography 1st Edition"
brand: "michael freeman"
price: "$93.18"
currency: USD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/8561155-capturing-the-moment-the-essence-of-photography-1st-edition
store_origin: US
region: United States of America
---

# Capturing The Moment: The Essence of Photography 1st Edition

**Brand:** michael freeman
**Price:** $93.18
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Capturing The Moment: The Essence of Photography 1st Edition by michael freeman
- **How much does it cost?** $93.18 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/8561155-capturing-the-moment-the-essence-of-photography-1st-edition)

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- michael freeman enthusiasts

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## Description

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## Images

![Capturing The Moment: The Essence of Photography 1st Edition - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61MalSfsacL.jpg)
![Capturing The Moment: The Essence of Photography 1st Edition - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/316A7UZqOvL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Great study for photographers wanting to enliven their work.
  

*by D***D on Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2020*

You will return to this book throughout your career. Each rereading brings fresh insight into how and why time is essential to photography.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    When to Shoot
  

*by C***N on Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2015*

Michael Freeman has always been one of the more thoughtful writers about taking photographs. Many of his most recent books have focused on just one small part of the skills of image capture. This one is in the same vein.The book is basically about the right moment to press the shutter button to get the best image. After an introduction that concentrates on the factors defining that moment (urgency, precision and speed) and the different kinds of shooters (Firemen, Builders and Marksmen) he presents a variety of his photographs, categorizing them by the type of moment, like slotting in place, or mid-air moment, or color moment and then discussing the considerations he used in selecting the moment. He further describes which of the factors was applicable to the particular situation and image, and then provides other information, like a series of images from which the principle photograph was selected, or clarifying graphics to support the point he is trying to make.This is a book about composition, and while there may be mention of why the author selected a particular exposure or focus to capture the moment, there is no discussion of basic exposure or focusing or indeed any other kind of basic technique instruction. If you don't already understand these basics, the book will be difficult to understand, making it more useful to practiced photographers.Freeman's photographs are accessible and well chosen to illustrate his points. I often feel that a series of photographs by the author may be telling one how to photograph like him or her,  but, as Freeman says, although a "scene is unique...this is supposed to prepare you for something similar". It might seem that the concept of moment is most applicable to documentary photographers but Freeman includes photographs from a variety of genres from nature photography to landscape to portraiture to illustrate the idea's applicability. And even though it was only a paragraph, I took a moment of glee from the way that Freeman indicated his disinterest in Bernd (whom he calls Bernard) and Hilla Becher's deadpan industrial typologies.I do confess that the graphic he includes in every discussion showing the relative urgency, precision and speed, while at first clever, appeared after a while to be overkill, but it only took up a small part of the page, and it did make the author's points.After one gets the basic skills of photography down, it becomes much harder to learn anything new, especially about ways to think about your photographic composition. I found this book was able to get me to consider more about the moment to snap the picture.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    When Should We Push the Shutter Button
  

*by T***H on Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2016*

Capturing the Moment is about a topic I call micro-composition. I probably picked the term up from someone, but I can’t remember who. Most composition books talk about rule of 1/3, leading lines, and such. This one it much more subtle. It assumes all the big elements are in the right place then deals with the small things like gesture, separation and interaction. These small things can take a good image and make it a National Geographic image.Freeman begins with a short discussion of photographic criticism around the decisive moment. He uses decisive moment as the time the photographer should hit the shutter to get the best image for the scene. Then he moves on to discuss three shooting styles, Fireman, Builder, and Marksman. These are progressively more contemplative in their approach to shooting.The rest of the book is built around his methods for shooting and then selecting the best images captured at different types of moments. Each section show a final image and then has a description of the situation in which it was captured. He show the sequence of images he took for each scenario and tells why the final image is the best in his opinion.This is excellent training for the intermediate to advanced photographer. The beginning photographer may find it more difficult to work through the examples, but we all face this challenge when we sit down to the ribbon of images in our editing program and have to decide which ones to discard and which ones to process. His images are travel type images with people moving in and out of scenes. The same concepts can apply to set up still-life or wild life images.  When are the elements in the frame in the right relationship to maximize impact? When is the right time to push the button to tell the story we want to tell?

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*Store origin: US*
*Last updated: 2026-03-02*