“This Is The Moment”

Zebras drinking water from a pond in a natural setting.
Northern Lights over a snowy fjord and mountains at night with a small town's lights reflecting in the water.
Black snake slithering on concrete near a white structure and a bush with green leaves.
Group of children with body paint and loincloths walking on stilts on a rural road, surrounded by greenery and under a clear blue sky.
Two elephant seals on a rocky beach with a group of king penguins standing nearby.
Crocodile attacking a wildebeest in a river with sandy banks.
A cheetah chasing a wildebeest in a grassy savannah, with a herd of wildebeests in the background.

As judges of photography, we often find ourselves evaluating an image and wondering how it might have been improved. Could a different angle have enhanced the composition? Might the light have been better at another time of day? What if the subject had moved just a little to the left or right? These are natural considerations when there’s time to make adjustments, but in travel, nature, and photojournalism, we must accept that such control is rarely an option. Instead, the moment captured is what it is—fleeting, unrepeatable, and perfect in its imperfection.

Much like in life, we can’t always go back and change things. We can’t relive a conversation to say the “right” words, or adjust a decision made in the heat of a moment. Life, like photography, often presents us with moments that are raw and real, unfolding in ways we didn’t fully anticipate. In photography, you can’t ask a cheetah to make another chase so you can get a better shot, or tell a polar bear to wave again with a little more light. You can’t hit rewind to catch the exact moment children burst into laughter in a Moroccan street at sunset.

It’s the same with life. We can reflect on how things could have gone differently, what we might have done to improve a situation, but the truth is, life happens in real time. There are no reshoots. And in both life and photography, the beauty lies in the authenticity of those moments. They are unscripted, sometimes messy, but they are real. The perfect capture is often not about how polished or technically flawless an image is, but about the story it tells in that fleeting second.

When we judge images from travel, nature, and journalism, we don’t dwell on what could have been done differently because we understand the photographer's reality. These images are products of circumstance, chance, and timing. A momentary alignment of subject and setting — and often, there is no going back. The same is true in life: sometimes, we get only one chance to act or react, and that moment becomes etched in our memories.

What’s important, then, both in photography and life, is the ability to be present, alert, and ready to seize those moments as they unfold. The focus shifts from wishing we could go back and change things to being ready for the next opportunity. In photography, that means being prepared to catch the next breathtaking scene, the next untold story. In life, it means learning from each experience and staying open to the unexpected.

The challenge in both arenas is to recognize the beauty of “what is” rather than dwelling on “what might have been.” Sometimes, what seems imperfect at first glance carries the most truth and impact. The goal, then, is to stay attuned to the present — to be aware, instinctive, and ready when that fleeting moment arises, because it may not come again.

This is why we must remind ourselves that "This is the Moment." In both photography and life, perfection isn’t the goal; it’s about being present in the moment and appreciating it for what it offers. We can’t always control the circumstances, but we can always aim to capture the essence of what’s real, raw, and meaningful.

So, whether it’s the decisive moment of a predator chasing its prey, the soft wave of a polar bear’s paw, or an unplanned yet perfectly timed moment in our own lives, the magic lies in recognizing those moments as they happen. The best we can do is to be ready for them, to embrace them as they are, and to move forward with an eye for the next one. Because, just like in life, every moment is unique—and once it’s gone, it’s gone. The only thing we can do is keep striving to capture more of them.

Upside down biplane on grass with people running toward it, trees in background.
Close-up of a hummingbird feeding from a purple hibiscus flower with greenery in the background.
Formation of five fighter jets flying against a clear blue sky.
A polar bear with two cubs lying in snow.
People in an inflatable boat near a large iceberg with an archway in icy waters.
Colony of king penguins with seals on a misty beach
Two children running in front of a building with blue and white painted walls in a sunny street. The building has arched doors and barred windows, and there is ivy growing on the roof.