Photography

(or… Beauty is where you find it.)

NB: I posted this on other media back in October of 2019. Since then, I haven’t got out to shoot as much, and this blog kinda fell into a big pot on the back burner. Time to get it back. So…

Perspective is an amazing thing.

How you see something is more important than most realize, and as I’ve explained to my kids, ad mauseum, perception IS reality. Occasionally, seeing behind the scenes can feel like it diminishes the magic of an event or image… but if you can look deeper, you will find beauty that you never knew existed.

This picture is a prime example. Take a minute and just look at this image. Soak it in and imagine you’re there. This is a real tree. It looks like this in real life. The colors are very vivid, but I promise, they are not photoshopped out of reality. Try to imagine what it would look like in the moment. Take your time.

I shot this about 6 months before the lockdown. It’s a terribly majestic tree. One can imagine leaning up against that massive tree trunk, good book in hand, maybe a glass of lemonade or iced tea, if that’s your thing. Glass of wine, maybe. Gentle breeze… the sound of the occasional fish splashing in the pond. Serenity.

Now I want you to find that tree in this picture. I assure you, it’s there. It’s earlier in the season, before the colors have changed, but it’s there.

No rush… but did you find it?

Here it is…
https://www.flickr.com/gp/jkling42/T73H2s

Totally not kidding. It’s that one.

Here’s what it looks like to shoot that tree.
(It’s still a little earlier in the season…the leaves are yellow-orange, and not yet red.)
https://www.flickr.com/gp/jkling42/60rwJ0

Don’t look at this and think the magic is gone. The magic had to be found. Real magic and real beauty is there. Even if you didn’t know to look. If you see those reveal pictures and think, “well that’s disappointing…”, you are completely and literally missing the forest for the trees.

Perspective matters.
Perspective equals perception.
Perception equals reality.

I see this tree and see beauty. The beauty is *there*.

Just because you can find an unflattering angle doesn’t mean you aren’t beautiful, too.
Don’t pretend the unflattering perspectives don’t exist- that isn’t helpful either… just don’t dismiss something because you once saw it as less than perfect.

Find the right perspective.