My husband and I delved into photography the past few years. You can credit our interest to a couple of different things.
The first would be this blog. Yes, this blog is all about quotes, but I pair the quotes with images, preferably my own. And now, whenever my husband Rob goes snowshoeing or backpacking or fishing, he takes along a camera and promises, “I’ll bring back some photos for you!”
Another reason Rob and I enjoy photography so much is our youngest daughter’s involvement with volleyball. Her different volleyball teams — school and club — need a photographer and, well, with my lack of depth perception, no one wants me to be a line judge.
Photographer Ansel Adams provides an interesting perspective of photography … that, indeed, every image includes two unseen people: the photographer and the viewer. And what each person sees can be very, very different.
For instance, when I took the photo posted in this blog, I focused on my husband because it’s fun watching him take photos. But someone else looking at this picture might be captivated by the colors of the ocean. Or the clouds in the sky. Or the waves washing up on the sand. Or even how the blues in my husband’s clothes mirror the blues in water. (I didn’t notice that at all when I took the photograph.)
It’s all about perspective, isn’t it?
There’s a life lesson hidden Ansel Adams quote and it’s this: we need to be careful not to judge a person’s heart by a single action. Of course, sometimes intentions are clearly stated by a person’s action. But then there are times when we see someone do — or not do — something. And we think we know exactly who that person is because of what that person did or said. But we could be mistaken if we’re looking at only one part of the picture … that solitary moment … or if we’re considering only one aspect of a person’s character.
In Your Words: When has stepping back and considering something or someone from a different perspective changed your opinion of them or the situation?
[ctt template=”8″ link=”d5Uh_” via=”yes” ]In Others\’ Words: Take Another Look http://wp.me/p63waO-2mj #lifequotes #perspective [/ctt] [ctt template=”8″ link=”kau0m” via=”yes” ]\”There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.\” http://wp.me/p63waO-2mj #AnselAdams #photography [/ctt]
Comments 4
I’ve had to do that lots of times. ONe such situation is going to church or church events and somoeone asking lots of questions. I used to think it’s because they want to have gossip. Now to get past that I have to say they are just making conversation and being interested in who I am as a person. That helps me to want to go and not feel like I’m under the microscope.
Author
Sabrina: That’s a wonderful example of changing our perspective to thinking the best of someone instead of suspecting the worst.
Seeing the world from another’s eyes is something I have to do every day. Life, for me, has narrowed to the fixed point of survival, and the limited horizon of the next minute.
It does take an act of will, sometimes, to see that what I consider non-issues are important to others, and that these ‘trivialities’ are not intrinsically trivial. We all have to deal with our own situations, the letters, so to speak, sent by God to us, personally. We can’t judge another’s pain or joy.
Author
You bring up a good point, Andrew — how our circumstances can limit our view of life, sometimes understandably so. And that it takes an act of will to consider others more important than ourselves.