Which Came First – The Chicken Or The Egg?

When do you actually take your best photographs?

It is a question that often comes up when photographers talk about extraordinary images and unique moments.

For me, the answer is almost as complicated as asking which came first-the chicken or the egg.

Because a great photograph rarely begins when you press the shutter.

It begins with the journey.

That journey might take you halfway across the world, through airports, mountains and remote villages. Or it might simply be a ten-minute walk from your own front door.

Either way, the photograph begins with you.

You put yourself in the situation. You observe. You wait. You react. And finally, for a fraction of a second, everything comes together and you press the shutter.

Only then does the photograph physically exist.

But the image itself has already been a journey-and what separates an ordinary photograph from an extraordinary one is ultimately your ability to see.

So, which came first?

Neither the chicken nor the egg.

You did-with your camera, your lens and your attention focused completely on that one decisive moment.