This photograph was taken on the same day as the previous black & white photo I posted on this blog. I was practically standing in the same spot. You can check the other from #week46 to compare and you’ll recognize the surrounding. Same day, same place.
You see, when walking around the city with my camera, I’m usually looking at things, thinking about what I see, what’s there and what’s not, a touch of imagination in between somewhere and capturing the moment. The thing though, is that all this is only from my perspective. I love taking photos, I love sharing them and I love telling the story behind them. I’ll be honest, when I took this photo, I had mixed feelings. I had missed the moment I wanted to freeze, when the girl was looking ahead and taking the first step. I remember it very well and I felt a “meh” moment because I didn’t get it. You get over that feeling rather quickly though since it’s always there and there are always moments you miss getting a photo of and that’s okay with me. That’s where memory kicks in. When we stopped to look at the photos of that day, Maria had an instant reaction to this one. She found it so beautiful, particularly the girl. She said it several times, and I remember looking at her from the corner of my eye, the lively expression on her face, the smile, as she repeated how pretty the girl was. I loved her comment. I loved that she shared that with me and I loved how genuine it was. I understood what she meant and what she was seeing. I felt it. Suddenly this mixed feeling I had about this photo was replaced by a feeling of joy for having captured that which pleased my beloved, for she shared her excitement with me, which in turn made me feel the same. It became a very meaningful picture for me, one to which I became attached immaterially. For her birthday, it was one of the photos I printed and framed as a present. Although, I believe she preferred the original one which you can see here below, without any edits.
I decided to share this because it has had an impact on how I view photos. The whole process. At first I thought I knew what I liked in them and what I didn’t, and jeez did I limit myself. All it takes is a small paradigm shift, and I mean a tiny one, to have a broader perspective on the subject. Most likely it is something I would not welcome from just anybody. When your loved one shares even a speck of your passion, however, it’s one of the most wonderful feelings. It is for me. There’s more in what you see than you think. You look at this very same thing and yet you try to experience it, see it and feel it from the other person’s perspective. You welcome it. Resistance is nonexistent. To go from “meh” to joy in an instant, that’s all it takes sometimes. You see beauty where you didn’t before. As the saying goes “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. I couldn’t possibly relate more to this idea than through this
Open your eyes, you’ll see more.
Open your mind, you’ll sense more.
Open your soul, you’ll feel more.
Beauty to Behold
R