How Has Photography "Opened Your Eyes?"

[outstar79]

I've only really started getting into photography over the last two years and perhaps more seriously in the last six months. I've learned a lot of things, and I still have a whole heap more to learn but during the midst of my photographic journey it has caused me to view the world with different eyes so to speak.

More and more am I drawn not only by the scenery in which I travel but how to light plays on different surfaces, how different lines and contours and valleys shape and compose an image. The diffusing effect of cloud and trees on sunlight. The different light intensities and colour is creates at different times of the day.

Now, it seems everywhere I go it is like I'm looking through the viewfinder on my camera - I find myself looking for different compositions even when I don't have a camera anywhere near me! Photography has developed in me an appreciation of the world around me, no longer oblivious to the "hidden" beauty all around us!

I would be interested in hearing everyone's thoughts on how photography has "opened your eyes"?

[William]

Same , Same Adam, I walk around all the time , Same as you like looking through the viewfinder , Puts a whole new perspective on things , Are'nt we lucky to have this abiliity , The others who dont see are missing out IMO

[old dog]

yep, me too. Bitten by the bug. Great eh?

[rustylongbeard]

yes you are right, Photographers look at the world in a totally different perspective. I sometimes correct or suggest something different if i see people(those i know) taken crap shots, they invariably thank me and say how did you know that?. Is it in the blood.......or the eye?
russell

[Ms Monny]

Totally with you! I see light, form, contours...how the light plays with things and the contrast between light and shade...... and I absolutely love it!!!! My 'eye' is getting better of late and I am able to see more of what is around me.

William is right....I feel sorry for the peeps that don't see this and walk around doing their day to day stuff in total oblivion. I laugh sometimes (at myself) when, talking to someone, I will stop mid-sentence to proclaim how amazing the light/cloud/shadow etc is. Im sure they think Im a bit weird (and I am!)

[outstar79]

Same , Same Adam, I walk around all the time , Same as you like looking through the viewfinder , Puts a whole new perspective on things , Are'nt we lucky to have this abiliity , The others who dont see are missing out IMO

I've literally seen people to engrossed in their smart phones or eye-pads and miss on the awesome displays that mother nature provides. Like the guy that was too busy "in the zone" power walking around camp to notice the very large and colourful shelf cloud looming overhead!!

I still point out the cool crepuscular rays, storm clouds and awesome light to my wife, whom responds "That's nice dear"

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yes you are right, Photographers look at the world in a totally different perspective. I sometimes correct or suggest something different if i see people(those i know) taken crap shots, they invariably thank me and say how did you know that?. Is it in the blood.......or the eye?
russell

Haha true Russell, very true!! A few photographers and myself were in Balingup recently and shot this lovely old farm property, and the owner didn't even recognise her own place with gorgeous clouds that were on fire when I showed them to her on the LCD on the back of my camera. "That's not my place, is it?!" she responded!

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Totally with you! I see light, form, contours...how the light plays with things and the contrast between light and shade...... and I absolutely love it!!!! My 'eye' is getting better of late and I am able to see more of what is around me.

William is right....I feel sorry for the peeps that don't see this and walk around doing their day to day stuff in total oblivion. I laugh sometimes (at myself) when, talking to someone, I will stop mid-sentence to proclaim how amazing the light/cloud/shadow etc is. Im sure they think Im a bit weird (and I am!)

Haha, yes I do the same and the children and wife put up with my constant stopping along the highway "Oh, dad just wants to take another picture!" then they go back to their nintendo's

[ktoopi]

I definitely am always looking for the light.......... and frustrate my husband by constsantly wanting to stop on road trips to take photos and then he in turn frustrates me by refusing to stop!

[Congo]

Same with me it can be very distracting to my job as i always seem to be framing different scenes while driving around the farms.

[Steve Axford]

I find that I now take much more time to see, and consequently see much more. I wander along paths and take ages to move through some areas. I stop to photograph something only to see something else that I never would have seen without stopping. Maybe its not a photograph, but the extra time looking opens up new worlds to see and explore. I remember going to the Pinnacle Lookout with Catherine and we stayed for 2 hours to do some time lapses. We saw the clouds move in and envelop us. Then they moved on and a rainbow came out, below us in the valley. Most people stayed for no more than a few minutes and missed all of this.

[A J Alderson]

Spot on Adam. I totally agree about the light for sure. I think seeing the light was the first major hurdle I crossed in my Photographic way of thinking and is now with me all the time.

One thing that has changed in the last year or so, for me, is trying to look trough the big scene in front of me and look for the small details. This began with a macro lens but is really taking hold now that I own a telephoto lens.

This is why I enjoy photography so much. The more I learn about the craft the more my view of the world is enhanced. I think we see more of the world because we have to slow down and think about what is in front of us rather than passively move through space and time.

[Tikira]

I clearly remember the day Wayne and I realised how differently we were seeing our beautiful world since taking up photography. We were driving home, watching a joyful full moon dance over the horizon, and as so often happens when you have been married for a quarter of a century, we spoke at the same moment. We realised we were now seeing the world through an invisable camera lens, and we love it....

Di

[Mark L]

I'll agree with what you said about the world of nature Adam, though as I get older (and started to slow down after we left Sydney), I was seeing these things anyway.
Am happy to observe these things. Sometimes I actually feel guilty about not taking photos of what I see.

[geoffsta]

Totally agree Adam. I'm amazed at the things I have driven past thousands of times, now have a different perspective. Old farm houses, buildings and landscapes, that I has seen, but never really looked at.
I now say to the wife when trying to get from A - B. "I need my camera blinkers" I also have become very aware of peoples eyes. Their colour, size and degree of emotion. I have a camera permanently in the car now. just in case...

[Glenda]

I agree it's amazing how differently I view things since getting into photography. I still struggle with 'seeing the light' at times and still rush with some shots but think I'm improving in those areas. Every time I say 'wow look at those clouds' it reminds me of my Gr8 art teacher - she was pretty wacky overall but often commented on clouds and we would all roll our eyes and think she's crazy.

[ricktas]

I definitely am always looking for the light.......... and frustrate my husband by constsantly wanting to stop on road trips to take photos and then he in turn frustrates me by refusing to stop!

Ah the good old photographers STOP.. and not an F is sight (in the non rude sense). Many a trip has been interrupted by that one.

[ricktas]

Wonderful thread discussion topic.

Cause I got into photography when I was quite young, I had to really think about this one. I cannot recall a time when I did not look at things the way a photographer would. But my grandfather also taught me (along with the basics of photography) that I should stop and smell the roses, so he would take me out to photograph something, but both before and after we took photos he would make me stand there and talk to him about what we were looking at. He always said it was important to enjoy the experience, soak in the fresh air, the sounds, the smells of a place just as much as it was about what we looked at.

So yes we see the world differently, but for me, I also smell and hear it too. I am amazed at how many 'tourists' go somewhere, pull up, get out. take photos and drive off. If you say something like 'isn't it a great morning' you will often get a 'yes it is' but if you say 'listen to the birds this morning' or 'how wonderful and fresh does the air smell in this rainforrest' you often get looked at like you are slightly odd.

People have lost the ability to experience our world with all their senses. I think photographers tend to be more in tune with all our senses than many others. We listen (for birds and animals) we see what is in front of us, we smell the environment. Sometimes we taste the water in the fresh mountain stream..while someone nearby drinks from a plastic bottle.

Differently yes..but better!

[outstar79]

I definitely am always looking for the light.......... and frustrate my husband by constsantly wanting to stop on road trips to take photos and then he in turn frustrates me by refusing to stop!

I think further than looking for the light you also gain an understanding of how certain light will effect what you are looking at. I constantly scout locations that I believe would look great under certain light and often return to that location once I have that light. I guess the difference for me now is that while the opportunistic approach can serve you well, the forecasting and planning behind the shot (mixed with a pot load of patience) can be more beneficial.

I see plenty of great things in my head though, it's just having the patience to see if it comes to fruition!

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Same with me it can be very distracting to my job as i always seem to be framing different scenes while driving around the farms.

I'm the same at home, my camera lives in my car when I'm travelling about Bridgetown!

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I find that I now take much more time to see, and consequently see much more. I wander along paths and take ages to move through some areas. I stop to photograph something only to see something else that I never would have seen without stopping. Maybe its not a photograph, but the extra time looking opens up new worlds to see and explore. I remember going to the Pinnacle Lookout with Catherine and we stayed for 2 hours to do some time lapses. We saw the clouds move in and envelop us. Then they moved on and a rainbow came out, below us in the valley. Most people stayed for no more than a few minutes and missed all of this.

That's the thing isn't it? Taking the time to "smell the roses" if you will. We live in a very digital and fast paced world and a world where people, for some reason or another revolve in a sort of organised chaos (sometimes totally chaotic) where everything to down to timetables, graphs and key performance indicators - so many people pass by so many beautiful places and don't give it a second thought, oblivious to the splendour around them!

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Spot on Adam. I totally agree about the light for sure. I think seeing the light was the first major hurdle I crossed in my Photographic way of thinking and is now with me all the time.

One thing that has changed in the last year or so, for me, is trying to look trough the big scene in front of me and look for the small details. This began with a macro lens but is really taking hold now that I own a telephoto lens.

This is why I enjoy photography so much. The more I learn about the craft the more my view of the world is enhanced. I think we see more of the world because we have to slow down and think about what is in front of us rather than passively move through space and time.

And you've been going ahead in leaps and bounds with that telephoto too mate!! Inspired me to seriously think about getting one too!

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I clearly remember the day Wayne and I realised how differently we were seeing our beautiful world since taking up photography. We were driving home, watching a joyful full moon dance over the horizon, and as so often happens when you have been married for a quarter of a century, we spoke at the same moment. We realised we were now seeing the world through an invisable camera lens, and we love it....

Di

It's great that you can have a partnership like that! My wife isn't big on the photography side of things, but if she's around she will always be there to at least enjoy the moment with me and she is always willing to help out posing and getting the attention of our younger "models" for portraiture!

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I'll agree with what you said about the world of nature Adam, though as I get older (and started to slow down after we left Sydney), I was seeing these things anyway.
Am happy to observe these things. Sometimes I actually feel guilty about not taking photos of what I see.

Just as well you don't need to take photos just to enjoy a beautiful scene! Though it helps, so all of us can see it too!

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Totally agree Adam. I'm amazed at the things I have driven past thousands of times, now have a different perspective. Old farm houses, buildings and landscapes, that I has seen, but never really looked at.
I now say to the wife when trying to get from A - B. "I need my camera blinkers" I also have become very aware of peoples eyes. Their colour, size and degree of emotion. I have a camera permanently in the car now. just in case...

Since getting into a little more portraiture, I too have begun looking at people in a different (obviously not too perverse) way! Imagining different types of natural light or where I would place a strobe or softbox or barn door!

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I agree it's amazing how differently I view things since getting into photography. I still struggle with 'seeing the light' at times and still rush with some shots but think I'm improving in those areas. Every time I say 'wow look at those clouds' it reminds me of my Gr8 art teacher - she was pretty wacky overall but often commented on clouds and we would all roll our eyes and think she's crazy.

Haha, your grade 8 teacher sounds like me now! I get a little obseessed with cloud, especially up in the Pilbara where at the moment there is a lack thereof!

[mechawombat]

Since my beautiful wife has allowed me a full day to shoot I have really enjoyed my photography alot more. I am able to not rush but stop and enjoy what I am seeing, hearing, smelling and touching. I bought a NPWS pass and ever week is a new view, a new walk. It really allows me to explore my photography and also the places I visit.

[outstar79]

Wonderful thread discussion topic.

Cause I got into photography when I was quite young, I had to really think about this one. I cannot recall a time when I did not look at things the way a photographer would. But my grandfather also taught me (along with the basics of photography) that I should stop and smell the roses, so he would take me out to photograph something, but both before and after we took photos he would make me stand there and talk to him about what we were looking at. He always said it was important to enjoy the experience, soak in the fresh air, the sounds, the smells of a place just as much as it was about what we looked at.

So yes we see the world differently, but for me, I also smell and hear it too. I am amazed at how many 'tourists' go somewhere, pull up, get out. take photos and drive off. If you say something like 'isn't it a great morning' you will often get a 'yes it is' but if you say 'listen to the birds this morning' or 'how wonderful and fresh does the air smell in this rainforrest' you often get looked at like you are slightly odd.

People have lost the ability to experience our world with all their senses. I think photographers tend to be more in tune with all our senses than many others. We listen (for birds and animals) we see what is in front of us, we smell the environment. Sometimes we taste the water in the fresh mountain stream..while someone nearby drinks from a plastic bottle.

Differently yes..but better!

Thanks for your comments Rick!

I've always had an appreciation for nature and "the great outdoors" from a very young age - we were always camping, canoeing and hiking and while I certainly appreciated the scenery and wildlife etc that I saw I'm using the knowledge and skills I've adapted over my relatively short time using a camera to bring this to people not only in my community but for everyone that sees my images and I hope that I can convey our bushland/farmland and flora and fauna with the love and awe I have for our little corner of the state!

I've seen those tourists, especially along the coast, pull up, click click - and drive off! For me, whenever I travel anywhere I immerse myself into it almost fully - for me seeing it is not enough, I want to really experience it, live in it!

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Since my beautiful wife has allowed me a full day to shoot I have really enjoyed my photography alot more. I am able to not rush but stop and enjoy what I am seeing, hearing, smelling and touching. I bought a NPWS pass and ever week is a new view, a new walk. It really allows me to explore my photography and also the places I visit.

Haha, I made up a little "Photography Pass" for me to use that gives me either the golden hours in the morning and night and the occasional scouting run! I did some work for the DEC recently over here and received an annual all parks pass as a gift, so I'll be utilising that over the next 12 months!!

[oxygen45]

More and more am I drawn not only by the scenery in which I travel but how to light plays on different surfaces, how different lines and contours and valleys shape and compose an image. The diffusing effect of cloud and trees on sunlight. The different light intensities and colour is creates at different times of the day.

Now, it seems everywhere I go it is like I'm looking through the viewfinder on my camera - I find myself looking for different compositions even when I don't have a camera anywhere near me! Photography has developed in me an appreciation of the world around me, no longer oblivious to the "hidden" beauty all around us!

Could not have said it better myself.