Seeing

My wife and I headed north on a rather rotten day. We were going to Vancouver, BC to visit a friend of mine who popped over from England for a convention. The day was doubly rotten. One of my wife's dear friend lost her battle with cancer. We didn't realize this until we were already in British Columbia. Sad. Very sad. Add to this that my friend has hit a patch of rotten luck, and it could have turned into a pity party. It ended up much better than that. Fortunately.

As we visited that fine city to the north of us, I learned something about the way I see the world. It starts with the acknowledgment that I love to travel. Moving about the globe seems to enable my photographic vision. In simple terms, everything is fresh and new to me. So taking fun images is like shooting fish in a barrel. Its easy.

I worked several themes during the trip. From our 24th floor hotel room we were able to over look much of Vancouver's West End high rise skyline. I took the opportunity to make a few images whenever the sky and lighting looked like it might be interesting.

Thinking back to St. Ansel and his body of work, people seem to remember his Yosemite Valley photos. Highly valued, St. Ansel had much to "say" about the valley. He photographed there for decades and came away with more than a few nice things. How on earth did the valley remain fresh and interesting to him?

After we returned home and I had the chance to process a few things I realized I just don't see my own city in the same way as I do other places. It seems that my own town is too familiar to me. So how do I awaken my photographic vision in a place where I get to see everything of "interest" nearly daily? How do I expand my ideas to include the familiar and, at the same time, seek out new and potentially good photographic ideas?