A New Perspective

by Judy

"If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

-Wayne Dyer-

There is an exercise for art students where the artist views a photo and draws a picture of what they see.  They then turn the photo upside down and draw a second picture of what they see.  Without fail, it's found that the second drawing more accurately represents the image in the photo.  Why is this?  Apparently, looking at the photo upside down keeps us from focusing on our preconceived notions of what something looks like.  When the photo is viewed upside down, the artist focuses on the smaller details, the shapes and lines, the little pieces, instead of the image as a whole.

A recent major event has made me feel as if my life has been turned upside down. Without really talking about 'it', we all know what I'm talking about. I'm flooded with many feelings - devastation, despair, worry.  And I know I'm not alone. (Alert...This is not a political post. This is not a post about 'sides.')

Looking at the big picture has been extremely frightening.  I just see this "big thing."  It feels overwhelming, intimidating and frustrating. But in a moment of clarity I thought of the art exercise, and I wondered if I could use that same idea to look at this "big thing" from a different perspective.  

By turning things upside down can this overwhelming thing be broken down into more manageable pieces?  Are there things there that I can work on?  According to author and creative expert Michael Michalko, "perception is an active rather than a passive process, it constructs rather than records 'reality.'  You construct how you choose to see the world."

By changing my perspective can I construct a more positive reality - at least a more positive path to follow? I can see myself walking this positive path, and just as the artist does, I imagine focusing on the smaller pieces, the shapes, the lines. As I walk this path I imagine being joined by others, who like me, are trying to find the positive amid all of the negative. With time, I imagine finding clarity, and with that clarity, I imagine this positive path branching off into many other positive paths.  

It's early in this thought process, so I really don't know if this is something I can do, but I do know that a new perspective is worth a try.  It is definitely worth a try.  

Do you ever feel the need to just turn things upside down? A new perspective can help all of us in every aspect of our lives.  Some time alone to be with your thoughts is usually helpful. Quiet time seems to bring about some lucidity and awakens our mind to look at things differently.



  

A Different View

by Cathy

"One moment the world is as it is.

The next, it is something entirely different.

Something it has never been before."

~ Anne Rice

Sometimes I feel like my photography becomes stagnant. I ask myself why I need one more picture of mushrooms or trees or flowers. When I feel this way I look for a new technique or photo activity. Recently, I have been seeing photos using a crystal ball. This fascinated me. I knew I wanted one to see my world in a different way.

I purchased my crystal ball from Amazon. They are not very expensive and such fun to play with. It has not been quite as easy I thought it would be. I find myself struggling to get the ball in focus and the background like I want, but I'm learning. I'm using different lens, aperture settings, and changing the distance between the ball and the object being photographed.

The scene in the ball will be upside down and reversed. You can keep it that way or you may choose to rotate your photo. Personally, I like the upside down world popping out at me. it appeals to the child in me.

Here's a few tips I've gathered.

1. There are several ways to steady the ball. Mine came with a small crystal stand, but I have also hand-held it or placed it on a post or on the ground.  I also have a candle holder that's about 8" tall that it rests securely on.

2. Focus on the ball, but be aware of the background. If you want a blurry background or bokeh shoot wide open (lowest aperture) and have the background far away. If you want more of the background in focus, use a higher aperture and get closer to the object.

3. Move the ball or yourself around until you find the picture you want. Carefully check the reflection in the ball. If you don't, you may get some unwanted clutter since it captures a wide view.

4. Your big camera and macro lens will work well, but they're not absolutely necessary to get a good photo.. So far the photo above is my favorite and it was taken with my small point and shoot camera using the macro mode.

 

5. Watch for sun spots or light reflections on the ball. Shooting in the shade seems best.

6. Lastly, don't hold the ball in direct sun. If you look at the photo above, you can see a bright spot on my hand. If the sun had been shining directly on the ball it would have burned my fingers almost immediately. Beware, like any magnifying glass it can start a fire if left in the sun even for a few moments.

Seeing the world through a crystal ball is one way I've found to see things differently and spice up my photography. I'm always looking for something new to try, so if your have any ideas for capturing a different view, share them with us.

Seeing Familiar Things in New Ways

by Linda

 

 

 

I always look forward to the creative things my Life Sisters select each month for us to Focus on. Each Life Sister carefully makes a selection, features a photo and a brief description to catch our fancy at the start of the month then spends the rest of the month perusing the Flickr gallery looking for our contributions to her chosen theme, featuring but a few of the beautiful pictures that are there. Each one, featured or not, is a treasure because someone else found the same beauty or found a new way of looking at the beauty that she carefully selected. It's always gratifying when someone else "gets it".

 

This month Judy selected the Alphabet. I have to admit, I was a little perplexed with this one. It puzzled me because I know that I am the kind of person that doesn't read between the lines, think outside the box or take a hint. I struggle with abstract art and if it doesn't hit me like a ton of bricks, I tend to scratch my head a bit. So, I thought, this would be a tough one.

 

Then one morning, I went to Cracker Barrel. I ordered coffee. The waitress brought my mug, poured the coffee, I did my usual doctoring and raised it up and saw the rim was cracked. I looked again and saw the number 4.

 

The light bulb moment, the elevator went to the top, the fog lifted, I had a breakthrough!

 

Last weekend, Kim Manley Ort sent out her weekly email with a link to her post on seeing. It is about a book on photo walks and the quote she had there jumped right off the page and hit me between he eyes!

 

"Right now, you are missing the vast majority of what is happening around you. You are missing the events unfolding in your body, in the distance, and right in front of you. ~Opening Paragraph, On Looking"

 

After reading that email, following Judy's lead, with inspiration from Kelly, I went out to see what I have been missing.

 

 

I saw the letter F

 

 

I saw the letter E

 

Wouldn't it be lovely to have an entire alphabet of vine letters!

 

...

 

Thank you Judy for inspiring me to try to see in a new way!

 

I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks!

 

..

 

How about you? Are you seeing old things in new ways?

 

...



The Traveling Lens Project

by Leigh

Have you heard about The Traveling Lens Project?   The LM-10 is the newest Lensbaby made for mobile photography.  Shutter Sisters along with Lensbaby selected 31 photographers from 18 states and 8 countries to try out the lens for a week and learn to see in a new way.  I was thrilled to be selected to participate in this project.  Lensbaby is known for their sweet spot lenses and this one does not disappoint!  The lens attaches magnetically with the help of a little metal ring that affixes to your phone.  Then you use the Lensbaby app to move the sweet spot around, lock your exposure, spot meter, and utilize the rule of thirds grid.  You select what you want in focus while everything else is beautifully blurred out.  You can even shoot video with the LM-10.  

This has been the most fun I've had shooting with my phone in a long time!   With the help of this little lens I was able to see things in a completely new way and felt inspired again as I sought out texture and color.  I thought more about how these elements would blend together.  Even the photo of my little nephew looks soft and sweet with the Lensbaby even though he was seconds away from getting in trouble for washing his sandbox hands in the water feature.  I was already feeling withdrawals when it was time to pass this lens along to the next person so I decided to order one of my very own.  If you are in the market for a new gadget I highly recommend this sweet spot lens!  Be sure and checkout the gallery and #travelinglensproject on Instagram to see some beautiful shots from the other photographers.