Some of you may have heard of Enchroma Glasses. With these special glasses, people with red-green color-blindness can suddenly discriminate between colors they couldn’t see before.  There are a lot of videos posted on youtube of people trying Enchroma Glasses for the first time.  Here is one below.

This blog post is not really just about Enchroma Glasses, though.

I wanted to pose a question to you:  What if you could see the world in a fresh new way, where the seemingly mundane was suddenly amazing, where you were brought to tears by what you saw, where you couldn’t help but say “oh my God” over and over again?   And to think this amazing world was always there, you just could not see it.

Well for color-blindness, there are those special glasses.  But we have other kinds of blindness, where we might not see our world all that clearly simply because we often overlook the things that are most familiar to us. In a sense, we don’t really see what is around us, we see past it, and miss out on so much.

We take so much for granted in life. I wish there were some special glasses I could put on, where suddenly I was saying “wow, oh wow” over and over again. With more appreciation of the beauty that surrounds us, ALL around us, the more we can create stunning images of even the most mundane things. 

Watch for early morning light coming through a window as it caresses a plant with its warmth. Follow a butterfly on its ever-changing path and see where it leads you. Look into the eyes of someone you love… seriously, stop and look at them. Think about what your life would be like if they were no longer here.  Appreciate the world around you more.

If you ever feel uninspired and feel like there is nothing around you to photograph, put on the glasses of “gratitude” and see what you have been missing, overlooking.  Photograph that.  Try to tell a photographic story about your world and what you love.

Say “wow” more.

I have taught so many photographers over the years. The first photography class I ever taught was right around 40 years ago. While I teach, I also consider myself a perpetual student of photography as well.  My most important advice I can give any photographer is to “remain teachable,” always strive to learn more.

We photographers face an interesting challenge because the images we create are impacted by three distinct factors:

• The scene – what we are photographing
• Our eyes – what we see
• Our camera – the device we use to create the photograph

The Scene – What We Are Photographing

Whether the “scene” is a person (a portrait) or some mountain (landscape), what’s in front of the camera obviously has a direct effect on the images we create. For portraits, we have decisions to make: who to photograph, how to pose them, etc. For landscapes, we choose the time, the location, and so many other factors. The scene is what is out there in front of the camera.  It is not a camera setting. For example, one question every photographer must consider is whether the light is right.

The quality of the light on a scene, whatever the scene, is a critical consideration for all photographers.  For photographs of people, if you know how to manage light, manipulate it, soften it, diffuse it, reflect it, shape it, you can create better portraits.  If you know how to use electronic flashes / speedlights or studio lighting such as monolights, you open the door to better photographs,   Light is critical for all photography, though.  Not just portraits.  That includes mountain landscapes, nature, anything really.

How do you improve the lighting on a mountain?  Come back at a different time of day, or different time of year. The more you take control of choices involving the scene being photographed and the lighting of that scene, the better your photographs will be.   Note I have a class that takes a very comprehensive look at Light & Photography that will ensure you have the skills to manage light more effectively.

Our Eyes – What We See

We don’t necessarily photograph what is there. We photograph what we see.  If we don’t “see” it, we won’t photograph it. Sometimes we miss the perfect shot simply because we did not see it. 

“The owl,” he was saying, “is one of the most curious creatures. A bird that stays awake when the rest of the world sleeps. They can see in the dark. I find that so interesting, to be mired in reality when the rest of the world is dreaming. What does he see and what does he know that the rest of the world is missing?” 
― M.J. Rose

What might you see that the rest of the world is missing? That is actually an intriguing question to ask yourself. In fact, that is an essential question to ask.  Your answer to that question is the key to your distinct view of the world, and is what separates your photographs from any other person’s photographs. I encourage you to spend more time pondering this question and your unique answer. Your photography WILL improve if you do this.

Think about any famous photographer, whose work you admire. Are they really just great because they had a better camera than you?  Not likely.

Our Camera – The Device We Use to Create the Photograph

The camera is the intermediary between your eyes and the world around you. It is the device, though which, you interpret and express your art as you capture images of what you see. 

You can choose to photograph beautiful things, people, and places.  You can choose to add magnificent lighting, but still you have to know how to most effectively use your camera’s many features to create the best images possible.  There is no getting around that.

The fully automatic modes just won’t always deliver the results you envision. Every serious photographer must choose to learn the important fundamentals of photography and the features of their camera if they want to create outstanding photographs. 

Of course I have classes that will help a LOT with that, such as my Photography 101 – Fundamentals of Great Photography class, or my Photographers Weekend Boot Camp.  I also offer Private Instruction on almost all aspects of photography.

Wisdom

Owls are often associated with “wisdom” perhaps going back to the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena, who had an owl as her symbol. Some say owls came to represent wisdom because of their large eyes and their success in hunting at night and catching creatures that humans weren’t able to detect.

The WISEST steps you, as a photographer, could take are to:

• Seek out the beauty of the world around you… find those scenes, those places, those moments, those people you find beautiful and photograph them. And I don’t just mean physical beauty.  I mean “beauty” in a deeper sense.  Photograph what you love.
• Take time to pause and see the world more deeply. If you carelessly rush through life, you might miss out on what really matters.
• Master your camera skills and light, otherwise you’ll miss so many wonderful opportunities to create your own outstanding images.

What do you see that the rest of the world is missing?  Photograph that, and do it well.

Most sincerely, 
A Perpetual Student of Photography… and Teacher
Kevin Gourley