Downtown Atlanta

Changing Perspectives

There’s something so magical about walking downtown and finding myself amidst the tall buildings. I’m used to seeing things through the camera lens, zooming in to get close, zooming out to get a wide-angle view.

But it’s mesmerizing to walk up close instead of zooming in. I walk a half-mile toward the city and everything about the view changes.

Suddenly, I’m looking up, instead of out into the distance. It’s all close up instead of far away. 

It takes so little to change the perspective, and that thought made me think about how people are today.

A Narrow Focus

So many have narrow, focused thinking - the lens of their life stopped down and zoomed in close. They can’t seem to think outside a small bubble of viewpoints. 

I’ve certainly been guilty of that, and social media has made it so much worse, but photography helps me change my perspective - in life as well as art. I like to see things from many different angles and perspectives. 

I like to read things from both sides of the political spectrum and different points of view, and the reality is that most people want similar things in life, they just have different ways of getting there.

Sometimes those ways are vastly different! 

Our media masters thrive on presenting the extremes on both ends. It works great to keep everyone riled up, angry, and focused on all the wrong things. 

Another interesting thing about photography is how photographs lie. So many people think if they have a photo of something, there's no disputing it.  

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it’s only as real as the intention of the photographer and the situation in which it was captured. 

The photographer can make you see things that aren’t there…that don’t exist…that weren’t intended to be…

With Photoshop, it's even crazier than it used to be. You can create a whole new reality based on a photo or a doctored photo.  

Viewer beware and don't take all photos at face value. 

Hmmm...not sure how I got here but that's what came out of my brain this morning!

I took the cover photo when I was wandering around the neighborhood playing with my new 14mm-140mm lens for my Lumix. And yes - that's a wide range, and I can really pull things in close.

Standing on the corner when I took this photo, the buildings looked a little farther away, though not a lot. I'm really enjoying this lens.

And, this week, enjoying family and friends. I took a quick trip down to Florida to see my daughter and her husband because they missed our Atlanta Christmas. They both had Covid.

After leaving my daughter, I kept motoring south to stay with some friends who recently moved to Port Charlotte. So, I'm working from their house this week.

It's such a nice change of view, and loving getting to see family and good friends that I haven't seen in months.

I hope you're having a great week!  It's chilly but sunny here - no rain in sight, though it rained when I was at my daughter's.

So, see you between the raindrops...or not! 

xoxo,
Susan

Have you thought about what you'll get your special someone for Valentine's Day? How about something unique like a fine-art print? I'll be announcing a sale soon, so stay tuned!