Critical Moment

In my other blogs I speak about the critical moment. That would be just as the flintlock musket is fired. There is a flash of the powder as the flint is struck. By the way, the weapons often misfired. And with the blast it was probably pretty hard to sight reliably down the barrel. You would likely be struck in the eye by the powder or at least blinded by the flash. There were many pictures I took throughout the day in which the actors had their eyes closed and/or head turned to avoid the flash.

You may take many, even hundreds (for me, more than 1000) shots. But the ones that count are the moment of firing. It is not easy to do. So, it’s why you do try to catch that moment. Understanding the sequence of action helps to anticipate the timing. You miss the moment often. The soldiers misfire, they fire at different times, and the crowd or trees get in your way. But it really is great to catch the moment. I got my share that day.