Posts Tagged ‘perspective’

Creeper Photo: Eye Contact

Monday, November 29th, 2010

Many people when they see my creeper photos either think it is totally strange or very interesting. One of the questions I get most often is what if they see you taking the picture? For most people, I take every possible precaution to make sure they don’t see. If they do see me there is a special tactic I imploy to sooth their suspicion.

  1. If you notice you have been spotted, don’t run away in fear of being called out. Most people will not call you out, so keep it cool and they will just give you a weird look then walk away. People are not very confrontational and if you keep it cool nothing will happen. Most people assume they are being paranoid and don’t do anything about it.
  2. Occassionally though, they will call you out. So if a person seems a little peeved here is my strategy. Still, do not run away. Stay put and then put your camera up again like you are going to take another photo and wait till the are out of the frame and take a new photo. Make a real spectacle of what you are doing and make it as apparent as possible that your intent for that picture was not the person. Once they see you do this, they will not do anything about it because they assume that you were taking a picture of what is behind them and they just happen to be in the shot. They never think they they are the shot.

So, disaster averted and the world does not end. If those don’t work…. then run. However, with children I let them see that I am taking their picture. Like this little girl, children make some of the most amazing eye contact with strangers and in that moment of eye contact is a connection  like you are peering into their life. Their eyes, like this little girls beautiful blue eyes, become a window into who they are. Even though I will never know who these kids become, for just a single moment it feels like I do know.

Kids often seem to enjoy it and smile or just stare. This little girl waved to me and I waved back then just smiled and walked away. Sometimes I fancy what the parents reactions are if later the kid tells them that some stranger took a picture of them. I wonder how this makes parents feel, how vulnerable must they be in that moment. Not knowing me, or knowing my intentions of taking these photos. I just want to give my hearts out to these people that I take pictures of, by letting me have their picture they are helping me better understand humanity one person at a time. My intentions are pure and often I feel people don’t understand that. Yes, this idea may be strange or creepy to people, but to me it is about uncovering mystery from thousands of perspectives. Taking pictures not of the people themselves but the stories that build up that person’s image.

So to all of my creeper photo subjects, thank you.

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Posted in Candid Photography, Stories |

Perspective

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

Something like a pot of flowers can seem so ordinary, not because it actually is but because we have become so accustomed to it that it has lost it’s uniqueness in our eyes. In my eyes this is a crime. My job is to provide perspective to all of you, it may not be right, different, or even worth your time, but it is something to remind people that nothing is one dimensional. Here is a series of photos, all of this seemingly normal flower bouquet. (P.S. I love flowers that is why I chose them, I think they are beautiful beyond compare)

This is a magnified perspective of one flower in the bouquet. Already, just a photo closer to the flower reveals so much more about the flower. This perspective allows us to study detail, to notice what people would normally brush over. Look beyond what you normally see, instead of seeing a flower, look at each petal, how are they different, how are they the same? Look at the center and how it darkens, drawing your eye. Don’t just see it, question it. Why would a flower have a darker center on such a vibrantly colored plant, why not make it a more colorful hue instead of black. There are a million and one ways to look at the same thing and each is unique within itself.

It isn’t always the front of a flower that holds the beauty. Try looking at things from a different angle. Sideways, upside down, from underneath and from above. Each new view can change the object entirely. Even the slightest shift from the first photo to the second, changes the view dramatically. Drawing your eye to one point, instead of to all of the flowers. Positioning is key, it can change how others look at an object and the message that they receive from it.

The objects standing right in front of you are not always the most important. Sometimes the things that seem so blatantly obvious are just masks for the real beauty that is staring you right in the face. Focus forward, don’t let what stands in front of you stop your ascent or progress. Look beyond and between the obvious and seek out the third path that leads you to your own future.

Beauty frames the world around us, I know it is hard but try to notice all of it. Not what stands in front of you, but all of it. At first it can be overwhelming to try to take in all of it, but the world will seems so much brighter because of it. Perspective is everything, without it, we would not be able to fully appreciate the minute details that build up the beautiful world around us.

So take some time, look at the ordinary things in your day in a brand new way. Notice what you would have never look at before. That is my only goal, to make people look at the world with eyes that can truly see.

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Posted in Photos, Thoughts |

Art Show

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

This was my first year taking part in the Scotts Valley High School Art Show as an art student. I had three pieces in the show, my cigarette made out of matches and Marlboro Light packs, and the two pieces from my pencil shavings series. The whole week before hand I was just a nervous wreak and I am glad it is over. During it’s course I remembered why I do art or anything creative that I share with the public.

I was explaining my pieces to a group of people at the art show and when they walked away left over was a little girl standing there. I asked her if she wanted to hear my explanation and she said she already had, then she just walked forward and hugged me. I had never met this person before in my life but here she was hugging me. When she let go I asked what it was for and she just said

It was for sharing with me something beautiful

That meant so much to me, not just to hear someone compliment my work but to understand that the meaning behind my pieces were understood. All I ever wanted from my art is to share with people a perspective that they are not used to seeing like I also do here on my blog. This little girl is why I do art, I do this so I can help people see the ordinary things of everyday life in an entirely new and beautiful way.

I don’t care what people think about my work, whether they say it is weird, ugly or just nonsensical. All that matters is that I can share something with people. I just wanted to say thank you to that little girl. I wish I had asked your name, but you helped me. I hope I really did help you too.

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Posted in Shout Outs, Stories |

If Only it was that Simple

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

All the things we see around us everyday we start to take for granted after a while. One way I combat this is trying to look at things in a different way. Here is a simple recipe to remind you of the greatness of everyday things (or things you simply become very acquainted with) :

  1. Look at it from a different angle. Whether it is standing only centimeters away from it so you can see the dust standing on the tip of a needle, or in this cause a cactus, or looking at it upside down. The world can be viewed through a million different angles. Pick one and use it to change your perspective.
  2. Every person sees from a different angle, so maybe just try looking through another persons eyes. Have a friend or just some random person describe the object in great detail while you have your eyes closed. Is it the same as you would have described it? If it isn’t think about it, why would that person see it the way they do rather than the way you do?
  3. Think about why you come in contact with this object so often. Just choose a random object you deal with in your everyday life, and think about that object. How different would life be without it? Would you miss it? Or do you need it at all? And if you don’t need it then why are you using it?
  4. Look closer, not just physically moving closer but look at what it is. People take things for face value way too often. Everything is made out of smaller things. Understand that what you see is not a single object but many. Look at all the tiny details you always look past and fully appreciate how complex life truly is.

Instead of just accepting things the way they are, question. It is the only true form of living, to seek knowledge and awareness. You can only have this if you make the effort though. So tomorrow look at something right up close or lie on your back and look at it from upside down. Appreciate what you have, appreciate every detail that is put into life around you. Nothing is as simple as it seems.

How do you ensure that the things in your life aren’t taken for ranted, share your methods for appreciating and understanding life that happens everyday all around you?

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Posted in Photos, Stories |