16 stunning photos that were taken at the perfect time
Whether it's years of practice as a professional photographer or dumb luck, fractions of a second can make the difference between an iconic photo and a blurry outtake.
These pictures were timed perfectly with fascinating and often poignant results.
Keep scrolling to see 16 photos that were taken at exactly the right moment.
SEE ALSO: The most powerful photos of 2017
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A statue on the roof of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris looks like it's reaching out to touch the supermoon.
The moon's orbit around the Earth isn't a perfect circle — it's an ellipse, which means its distance from the Earth varies. A supermoon happens once or twice a year when the moon's orbit brings it closest to the Earth.
Photographing a supermoon properly can take years of planning, and on December 14, 2016, Reuters photographer Christian Hartmann angled his shot perfectly to show a statue atop the Notre-Dame in Paris appearing to touch the large, looming orb.
In a photo worthy of a gold medal, the full moon rose through the Olympic Rings hanging beneath Tower Bridge during the London 2012 Olympics.
This photo of the moon creating a sixth ring in the Olympic logo went viral during the 2012 Olympic Games in London, garnering thousands of retweets. Many also joked about the International Olympic Committee's strict policies about protecting the Olympic logo.
"Moon taken to court by IOC for violating Olympic brand ban," Twitter user Jon Holmes wrote.
This photo of Usain Bolt smiling as he raced ahead to win the Men's 100-Meter Semifinals at the 2016 Rio Olympics became one of Reuters' most-liked Instagram photos of the year.
Photographer Kai Pfaffenbach explained how he got the incredible shot.
"When Usain Bolt prepared for his 100m semi-final I decided to play with slow shutter speed for that race," he told Reuters. "I set my camera (shutter speed) to a 50th of a second and was waiting for the moment when he passed my position. At the very right moment he looked to his left with the proud smile and my first thought was: 'hopefully I got this sharp.' Well, I've been a lucky bunny in this case but I still would not have imagined at this moment that this picture would go viral and get worldwide recognition."
You can see more of Reuters' most-liked Instagram photos from 2016 here.
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