The Decisive Moment

"The Decisive Moment" is a term coined by Henri Cartier-Bresson and a book by the same name.

Cartier-Bresson excelled in composition without cropping his negatives, and he had a unique ability to capture the fleeting moment in which the subject's significance is revealed in form, content, and expression.
He termed this the decisive moment.

“For me the camera is a sketchbook, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity, the master of the instant which—in visual terms—questions and decides simultaneously,” he once said.

Copy the following into a word document. Save your responses into your folder, and then upload the final product on global classroom.

The Decisive Moment

Look through the book available by clicking here.
Answer the following questions, and upload the Word document when finished.
1. Choose the photo you like the most, and write the page number below.
2. Briefly describe the photo. What is the CVI? Is it a portrait, a true photojournalistic moment or something else?
3. Form- What are the major composition techniques used in this photo, and how are they used?
4. Content - Who or what makes this photo interesting, and how does it do this?
5. Expression- What is happening in this photo that makes this moment "decisive?"

Answer these questions fully and upload the Word file when you are finished

The Photo Story and Essay

Step One- View some professional examples

A photo story is a series of images about one specific event or related events designed to visually tell a full story. The images are accompanied by text and captions that help to tell the story. The three most common ways to organize a story are as follows:

Chronologically - Tell the story from beginning to end
Differing perspectives- Give the wide context of the story, and the closeup details
Narrative- Write a story that incorporates characters, settings, conflicts and events, and use the photos to illustrate it


learn more about the photo story by clicking here and completeing assignment 2.1 on the global classroom.


A photo essay is a series of images about a specific theme. The topic does not have to be a specific event, but it may be. The photos should all convey a specific emotion, idea, or perspective on a topic.

learn more about the photo story by clicking here and completeing assignment 2.2 on the global classroom.