One of the things I enjoy most about photography is taking the time to really look at the photos I’ve taken. I see things on review that I swear I didn’t see when I was actually there taking the photo. Or I see better something I had noticed, but didn’t take the time to look more closely while I was actually there. When either of those things happen it reminds me to slow down and pay attention in everyday life. I know some people feel that taking photos separates you from the moment, and maybe, in some ways, it does, but actually I find taking some photos, AND taking time to pay attention in the moment, AND reviewing the photos at home, (repeatedly), enhances the joy and pleasure I get out of life, and allows me to make more sense of the everyday.
Here’s an example. I was in Strasbourg and noticed the beautiful reflections of the old buildings. Probably thousands of people have taken a photo like this, standing at the exact same spot as I was standing on this bridge. You can see that happening more and more as particular views and locations become “instagrammable”. However, just as in life, every photo is unique. I framed this particular shot, not just to capture the buildings and their reflections in the water but to include the couple sitting on the steps (bottom left of the image) – because I thought that made a more appealing composition.
Having noticed them in the viewfinder, and taken the shot, I zoomed in to take a second photo, where the couple and their reflection in the water became the main subject. Here’s that second photo –
I think, at the time, my thought was, what a nice image of “reflection” this would be…..a reflection in the water, and a couple of people, well, reflecting (taking a moment).
But now that I’m revisiting these photos I’ve just seen something else. These people aren’t looking at the water, or the reflections. They are looking at something off screen to the left (there was a beautiful and very ancient tree growing at the end of the bridge. I think that’s maybe what they were looking at). Then I noticed something else. At first, I thought, oh, they’re sharing a pair of white gloves. Because it looks like they both have one gloved hand, and one ungloved hand. Now, sharing a pair of gloves is an interesting thing to do. I think I might have done that while we walked on a cold wintry day, with one hand gloved, and the other thrust deep into a jacket pocket….but, looking closer, I see that for each of them, the gloved hand is the left one. They are both wearing a left hand glove. Well, I’ve never seen anyone do that before. That sure makes me curious and stimulates my wonder and my imagination. What’s that about?
I do love it when a photo I’ve taken leads me off down very different paths of wonder the more closely I look at them.
I am convinced that taking photos, and reviewing them repeatedly, encourages me to reflect more….on the world, on other people, on my life, and on my every day experiences.
Heroes Not Zombies 