Perspective

I have a list of blog post ideas a mile long. This is the newest so it's getting here first because it is freshest in my mind I suppose.

Yesterday I drove down to the Gettysburg Battlefield. If you are familiar with this blog you will remember my trips (and resulting photos) from last winter and this past spring. Prior to last winter I hadn't been there in over a decade. I now plan to continue going back a few times a year. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to be.

I used my trusty bb (blackberry) as well as my Canon as usual. The bb has three focal lengths and I have two lenses (both of which are zoom lenses) for the 'real' camera. That said, I realised (remembered is more like it) yesterday that just because I have multiple focal lengths to chose from doesn't mean I can stand still if I want a good shot.

Perspective is everything. In photography. In life.

What do I mean by that? Perspective is how you see something, your take on life. It's the glass half full/half empty question. It's your angle on a story, the slant of an article, the "spin" of the politician you love/loathe most.

As many people as there are in existence or who ever existed or ever will is how many different ways there are of seeing the same thing. In photography the focal length of the lens is one tool a photographer can use to create their image; how close or far away they chose to be. But that can only do so much. The photographer has to MOVE.

I am paying for that movement today. I reinjured myself walking on uneven ground, climbing over some rocks, and getting up and down all day. But it's a price I pay gladly. I can not imagine taking all of my photos from normal standing/walking height. How boring!

One of the biggest mistakes that amateur photographers make is not exploring every possible angle in looking at a subject. People often make the same mistake in life. We want things quickly. We want things to be easy. We want to be right. So we make decisions and formulate opinions often without considering all the possible parts of issues and then we hold tightly to these beliefs even in the face of logic.

As photographers and artists, people need to remember to get uncomfortable. Move! Don't be afraid that you will look like an idiot laying on the ground to form an image the way you think it should be formed. The same holds true when you form an opinion. Don't be afraid to question the status quo. You don't have to accept it just because someone else believes it. Form your opinions as carefully as an artist forms an image. Get uncomfortable. Challenge yourself to see things from different perspectives, different points of view.