instant capture

I was riding the bus home after a photoshoot, with my camera on my lap browsing through the photos I had just taken.  Suddenly, I spied a flash of yellow out of the corner of my eye, and I quickly switched my camera to shooting mode and just barely captured this shot above of the sunny footwear exiting the bus.  Even though I only caught a glimpse of the real thing, gazing at this photo makes me smile and wonder about the owner of those pretty bright yellow shoes, how happy she must have been to slide into them after a long Chicago winter.

Sometimes, photography is about meditative and deliberate practice.  Other times, however, it's about being a quick draw and capturing that flash of visual joy at just the right moment before it's gone.  Whether it's the suspension of disbelief or a sweet display of affection, some instants are over in a blink of an eye or (preferably) the click of a shutter. 

Please share with us today evidence of those swiftly passing moments that you happened to capture before they became mere deposits in your memory bank.

Comments

[Elizabeth Harper]

Sometimes it can be an image that you didn't expect .... making it all the more shocking when you have time to reflect.

http://giftsofthejourney.wordpress.com/2009/04/25/fairy-spirit-or-twist-of-light/

[Marcie]

It's often that unexpected fleeting moment that captures my eye:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=1115

Love those yellow shoes!!!

[DorkyMum]

When I was lucky enough to spend some time in Greenland, one of the days was spent on a boat ride, looking at icebergs. As we were coming back into the harbour at the end of the day, I turned round to take a quick snap of the boat. It wasn't until I got my photos back that I noticed I'd also captured the captain sticking his head out of the window, his red cap perfectly matched with the red of his boat! Its not the best of photos, but it's a nice memory.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorkymum/4253351503/

[AnnGeeDee]

Taken with my purse camera on my way to work. A fleeting moment captured while in motion. http://www.flickr.com/photos/40070449@N08/4409585331/

[lucy]

fun image! so glad we can cast off our winter boots and coats...

i was walking in the woods when suddenly this guy came riding past. no time to check settings -- even though i had my dslr, this was a spontaneous point and shoot moment. and it worked!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucyloomis/3902566628/

[brittany]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43773191@N00/4392474264/

[Lori]

My granddaughter isn't one for posing. I have to be quick. On this morning, she had this great wild hair and the sun was shining in on her and she just looked so cute. Luckily, my camera was handy and the batteries were charged.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sanderwood/4443346208/

[Ari]

Hee hee, love those shoes.. nearly bought a pair myself recently.

This picture fits... I was taking a picture of some railroad tracks, my friend had pulled over to the side of the road to let me snap a few and as I was walking to the car, this caught my eye. Grabbed a few snaps and then when I got in the car, I was like, ohhhh.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/curiousillusion/4444713074/

I don't even like my railroad tracks pics compared to this.

[erika]

I just happened to be rounding the corner when he let his webs fly.
I think he wanted us to quiet down. It didn't work.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/onemoreplease/4440319159/

[Shawna]

the fleeting moments that make up every day life with kids, but never seem to make it onto the camera - those are the ones we treasure the most when we accidentally capture them.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28479290@N05/4450740073/

[Denise]

Hi, everyone! This is my first time posting here. This site is so amazing...I've been checking it daily for weeks now, and I feel so inspired every day when I read something new and view such breathtaking photos. I'm not much of a photographer, but I just bought my very first DSLR last month. I am working on learning all its ins & outs and hopefully someday I'll be able to capture such great moments as all of you.

Anyway, here's a photo I thought might fit with this theme. It's my little brother and my boyfriend standing along the Missouri River in Yankton, SD. They both walked to the edge, leaving me just enough time to get this shot, before turning around and walking back to me. I love this because it's two of my most favorite people in the world along a most precious background.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/deniselivingston/4382599710/

Thank you for creating such an inspiring website. Hopefully I will be able to continue sharing photos with you. =]
-Denise

[spread your wings]

this was a fleeting moment - one i took yesterday of my daughter loving on a strange cat. their hair was the same color and i wanted to capture them both in the sunlight before the cat ran away.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnsun/4452154206/

[georgia]

love this post!
love the yellow shoes.
and yes, i can identify... i live in chicago-land.
it was so wonderful to put on spring footwear all last week!

here is my recent quick-draw capture.
i was taking photos for my friend of her family of four
shortly after their newborn arrived home from the hospital.
the two-year-old big sis was moving around, hardly sitting still for a photo.
at one point, she climbed out of the photo, and over to the edge of the couch,
replacing her presence with a big stuffed elmo doll.
as i was looking at my camera lcd screen to go through and delete
the not so good photos and make room for better ones on the camera card,
she was squirming around so much on the couch,
she pushed elmo's big floppy head over onto the newborn's.
i saw it out of the corner of my eye and quickly put the camera
back into snap mode instead of view mode.
so glad i did, 'cause i got this sweet unexpected shot.
http://itsjusthowiseethings.blogspot.com/2010/03/baby-elmo-sweet.html

[Puna]

Here's a photo I posted for SOOC Saturday and though I hardly ever use my flash I had to have it on to capture this...

http://lifesignatures.org/wordpress/2010/03/march-20-hawk-nelson-is-my-friend/

[Jayne Bramley]

Caught these two boys peeking into the bar :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14261878@N08/4299286516/

[Jessica]

I chanced past this dog in the park, and the combination of the light and his sheer joy made me snap a shot. I love this one, even though technically it's not perfect.

http://quotidian-photography.blogspot.com/2010/03/joy.html

[Stacey Bruce]

Cone flowers are beautiful, and there are a gazillion photos made of them. But what I love about this picture is the surprise I got when took a closer look later. Notice the tiny spider making its way out from under the petals. Finding that little unexpected surprise truly made me happy.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceymo/2599436114/

[Nalen Aguilar]

all my instant captures are taken when I am inside the running truck :)

http://barriegirl.tumblr.com/post/465029349/chappell-farms

[Diane]

Here is an example of when I had to be quick on the draw. It happened in an instant and was over as quickly as I captured it:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27458974@N00/4359472095/

I would have to look through my archives for older ones. Enjoy

[wendy]

Fabulous photo! Love that bright sunny yellow!

I am a nature freak... and one night while in my yard, I heard geese flying overhead and coming my way. I couldn't see them for the big trees that line our property so when they finally appeared I just pointed and panned through with my camera. I wasn't sure I liked what I saw at first on my computer that night but something kept drawing me back and I finally decided I loved it. My favorite part is the evening sun glow on their white breasts.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/awebert/4362615220/

[Tracy]

this was one of those "quick draw" moments. i was just trying to capture the shadow of the trees when i saw two people holding hands approaching and i just love the photo that i got:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31417716@N00/3480682048/in/set-72157617086373357/

[Bev]

what a great shot....yellow shoes...so lovely...
this photo of my husband was quick draw, just the right moment...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37013676@N06/4454858169/

[Trude]

Love that shot! Makes you wonder where they're going, where they've been. :) This was a super quick moment that I didn't think I'd gotten, you can see his paws are just starting to move as he untangles himself from the screen door: http://www.flickr.com/photos/trudem/4444908928/ :)

[lisa]

Upon first glance, I thought the photo was of someone you knew with cool shoes. The fact that it was of a stranger during a fleeting moment makes it that much more beautiful. Always the unexpected that surprises.

Taking photographs of kids can often be fleeting, especially if they belong to me and rarely cooperate when I have my camera in hand! These shots of my older son were taken when he was blissful yet unaware. Fleeting moments I'm thankful were captured:
http://lotusandnovember.squarespace.com/journal/2010/3/9/time-traveler.html