perception through my lens

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Upon looking, feeling, tasting or any of the other senses, having a negative approach to “that thing” that you sense can ultimately result in developing a negative perception.

With the two pictures below, I will compare my personal perception with the differing impressions the viewer might possess.

The photograph on the left was captured in Berlin, Germany as my mother was sitting across from me outside of a cute bijou cafe. As this photo was taken, I heard the foreign languages being spoken by the people passing by, I saw the people around us finding their way to their next destination, I had coffee and the taste of croissants on my breath, and felt love as my mother gazed at me with her tired eyes. A viewer who doesn’t have these sensory connections to this photo might perceive it to be dull and meaningless because of the black and white tones and the detachment they have to the subject of the frame; but the feelings and memories I possess with this photo completely change the way I view it. The photo on the right was taken at a local cemetery in Hamburg, Germany. The beauty of the flower would never remind someone of the memory or feeling of death, but that is entirely what the rose was surrounded by.

My perceptions have changed even in the course of a few hours, but I am able to capture what it was at the time these photos were taken. Being able to share my passion and viewpoint with others and ultimately see their perception compared to mine is a very eye-opening experience and is the central reason why I pursue photography as a hobby and career. While capturing a photo, I am continuing the process of learning about myself, but as I share it, I am also learning from others. It’s a humbling feeling to know that with one capture from my own perception, I could be affecting someone else’s as well.