man & nature # 130 ~ open / closed
Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at 09:08AM 
Mid-AM fog 'n smog ~ Glen Island, NYC - western end of Long Island Sound • click to embiggenI used to think that I lived in a somewhat unique target-rich environment, photography-wise. I mean, I live in park - the largest wilderness in the Eastern US. If you can't find picture possibilities just about everywhere you look, you must be blind. Like my recent tamarack picturing, when I managed 18-20 "keeper" pictures in just 30-45 minutes of picturing, I find that nearly every time I go a-picturing here about, I could fill a book in very short order.
However, and of late, I am discovering that no matter where I find myself, there are pictures-pictures everywhere. It makes me wonder - am I a freak-of-nature, seeing-wise, or, are others, who often get caught in a "creative rut", more "normal", seeing-wise.
I wonder about this because, once again this past weekend in the small environs of Pelham Bay / Glen Island and in just 2 short hours, I made enough keepers to fill a book. Everywhere I turned there where so many picture possibilities but, and this is an observation - not a criticism, my 2 companions (the wife and her brother) most likely did not see it that way. In fact, I feel rather confident in stating that they did not see nearly anything that I saw. At least, not in the way that I saw it.
I am very curious about this apparent difference. As a picture maker, do any of you ever think about how you might be different from the rest of the crowd with eyes that do not see?
Reader Comments (4)
My wife and I both see it and hear it when we are out shooting. I don't know how many times I have overheard people say, "What are they taking pictures of?"
I remember one time last year my wife was standing on the corner of Caroline and Broadway in Saratoga shooting across the street pointing her camera up to the top of a building at some of the fancy stone work. Next thing I know there are people asking that same question again and pointing up like the old Superman opening, "Look up in the sky!"
When you're hot you're hot and when you're not you're not.
I think we're just from a different planet. None of my non-photographer friends (which includes all of my family) can understand why I'm so interested in just looking at everything around me.
Whilst I don't often get comments, I certainly get quite a few odd looks from people, clearly wondering where I'm pointing my camera.
Seeing everything still comes in waves. Some days there's almost too much to take in, other days virtually nothing. Both can happen in the same place, too.