Learning to See

Photography is about learning to see. I’ve been lost at times in the technical aspects of aperture, lens lengths, light, and more. Knowing your tools is absolutely important, but it’s not really about the tools. When you marvel at architecture, or a beautiful work of art, you are caught up in the thing, not the tools.

Seeing takes time.

One of the most memorable experiences for me was arriving 30 minutes before sunrise at a park outside the Taj Mahal in India. I had been inside the day before and had gotten some really good pictures. I knew that sunrise could be good. I set up my tripod. Took some readings. I knew the minute the sun would rise. I started snapping a few just before the sun rose.

The minute the sun rose so did the birds. All of creation awoke with the day. I wasn’t expecting that. It was glorious!

The best things take time.