A Short Interlude

I just wanted to write a quick post to say, that no, I have not forgotten about this blog. As good fortune would have it, I live in Minnesota and the beautiful cold and snowy weather significantly limit my ability to get out and find those objects and perspectives I love so much.

I am currently working on a project that involves the participation of other people, and while it is slow going, it is going, and I'm hopeful that it all pulls together in the end (some of you reading this know what I'm talking about -- shhh....it's a surprise).

It is a little strange this year, I am really feeling in the Christmas spirit. Not that I don't love Christmas (who doesn't?) but usually until it arrives, I don't feel much in the way of excitement prior to it arriving. But this year is a little different. I don't know, but because of this, I did want to put up a couple photos (not new ones I've taken, but previous ones) that best represent some of the feeling of Christmas.

I don't know quite what it is about this, but it seems to hold a promise of something for me.

I know it's almost the exact same photo, but there is a bit more to it. It's less concentrated and more inclusive. A slightly more hopeful feel.

What I love about this one, are its obvious differences. It's in color, which speaks more of 'children' to me. Also, the size of the chair is that for a child. The feel of this photo for me is the anticipation of a child: the Christmas tree all lit up with presents waiting to be opened on Christmas morning.

I would like to say (since I don't know if I'll be able to post again before Christmas), have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Be safe and cherish the ones you love. Now is probably the greatest and hardest time of year for many, and remembering to be filled with love and gratitude can difficult. It's easy to see the bad and think of all we don't have and everything we want. But, this blog's purpose is to focus on perspective and being grateful: so, every day, find at least one thing to be happy for, and understand some people don't have even that much.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Power of Perspective

Part of why I love macro photography is the perspective it allows. I love how when I go to take photos because I see something of interest, shoot it, and it’s fascinating, but more often than not, I find myself  taking a photo of something else nearby. Typically those photos end up more fascinating than what I originally meant to take a picture of. Shooting in macro forces me to lie on the ground, kneel in the dirt, lean up against a dirty wall, bend and twist in unusual forms, but it allows me to look at things differently. See things in a way I may have not normally chosen to look them.

I was at a coffee shop I like to frequent, when I looked out the window and saw someone had left a mug on a table (which, personally, is rude - artistically, it made a cool shot). I don't know what it was about this image that struck me, but I like the intrigue of a mug left behind. Who sat at the table? People don't typically sit outside on an autumn afternoon alone, having coffee. What did they talk about? Were they friends? Lovers? Family? And while no, this is not technically a 'macro' shot, it took a lot of work to make sure nothing of the city behind made it into the shot. I love that the plants above the brick wall block out the florescent city lights and traffic.

 

A bit about this photo: if you look at the photo above, this shot is taken about three feet from that table. To get the first image, I had to kneel down on the 'cobble stone' you see here. I wanted the perspective in the first photo to match what I saw when I was sitting at a table in the shop. That involved kneeling down to take it. When I did, I saw the afternoon light hitting the green moss growing between the cracks in this stone. It was just a slight shift in my perspective. So now, I go from kneeling on the ground, to lying on it.

While I do typically favor close ups, sometimes I move back to capture more of what I'm looking at. Even when I do that though (because God knows I just can't be normal) I try to off-center my photos. Again, I feel like this makes me really look at something, and helps me to really appreciate what I'm looking at. Here, how could appreciate these crimson seeds without the muted brown branches and thorns?

Then I move in and take the close ups.

These beautiful crystal, snow flake looking plants, remarkably, were planted right next to the red plants from above. I didn't even notice them at first because I had only seen the red ones (hard to miss them). I was ecstatic when I found these however, because they sparkled in the sun.

I would like to note that I took all of these photos within in the same hour. I had my camera with me and saw these interesting things outside of the coffee shop. So a little perspective: yeah, I'm the crazy person outside lying on the ground taking pictures of the stone, but who cares? I realize that it's not for everyone, but it's all matter of point of view. What's important is doing that which makes us happy and respects everyone else at the same time. I'm not hurting anyone while taking photos and it's enjoyable.

Our lives are complex and can be so full of beautiful things if we shift our perspectives just a bit and allow a little room for different people and experiences.

 

A Closer Look

I want to explain a bit about my style of photography. I really enjoy taking photos of ordinary things and exaggerate the bits of them which makes them unique. Often I look at my surroundings, constantly imagining how I could represent them through the lens of a camera. Typically though, when I take photos, I often take them in a macro style. This means (for those who aren't aware) I take exceptionally close up photos. Not only does this seem to be where my 'talent' for photography lies, but I like the idea that you really have to get close to something to really appreciate the minute details of it. I feel, far too often, we have a tendency to simply look at the immediate surface of people and everything that surrounds us. It gives us a negative and superficial view of the world. I think for anyone to have a true appreciation of themselves and the things with the ability to enrich our lives, we simply need to take a closer look.

Here, I was trying to capture the beauty of an amazing October day's sun by taking photos of the autumn leaves. While I was braving my way through the branches of the trees, I happened across this little lady bug. It struck me as odd that while I was doing my own thing, this little critter was spending its day just meandering down the branches of trees.

I know people tend to not like dandelions, but I love how the seeds almost look like snow flakes. Exceptionally white, and if you blow them to make a wish, they float on the wind like snow flurries.

The day I took this picture, it was such a beautiful day. October, 61 degrees, and the light was hitting every color marvelously.

A (not so) Simple Hello

I'm going to do my very best to keep this introduction concise but full of information - while covering the history and birth of this blog.

My entire life I've struggled with a variety, but related strings, of up and down emotions. Through my younger years, anger was predominant. Followed by depression, and as of late, anxiety with worry. Lots of it. Often these were mixed together and coupled with panic attacks.

I'm in my mid-twenties, and I suppose you could say that my life, as a whole, is well-adjusted. Of course, like anyone else, I have a crazy but lovable family, a great group of friends, and a fantastic amount of love and support in my life. I graduated with my Bachelors degree just under two years ago, and while I've only recently managed to obtain my first official full-time job, I've worked nearly full-time since I was sixteen.

So, the big questions in my life had become, what do I have to be so anxious about? Why do I have panic attacks? Why do I worry about things, that most of the time, never even happen? Until about two months ago, I had no answers. I'm not a stupid person, so I knew the rational side to all of these questions, were "nothing" and "no good reason." And telling myself not to worry about things, because all my life I had heard, "just don't worry about it," was not working any more. For the first time in my life, I sought help from an outside, professional source.

Ultimately what this comes to (skimming over a lot of the nitty-gritty, tear stained details) is my counselor made me aware that my brain chemistry causes me to be an over anxious and slightly depressed person, and that I needed to actually go see my doctor, and start taking something to help with it. It's been about a month on two low-dose anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications, but I could tell after the first week, that I was actually sleeping at night, instead of lying in bed worrying, and that things, as simple as not being able to find my house keys in the morning, were no longer triggers for a panic attack. I can't remember a time before this past month were I have felt as good as I do now. Maybe I never have. I don't honestly know.

So, what is the point of this blog? My counselor gave me a few things to work on, and one of them is a "Gratitude Journal." Where, each day, I deliberately think of something to be grateful for, or something that made me feel good, and write it down. Then, each night, review everything in that journal. She told me, that while the medication is good and is good for starting to rebalanced my brain, humans are actually capable or rerouting brain patterns to aid in being naturally more happy. Starting with gratitude. It doesn't make us egotistical or 'big headed' but makes us more aware of how good our lives actually are when we're deliberate about being happy and grateful; focusing on the abundance of good things in our lives, instead of the occasional one or two bad things.

A wonderful and inspirational person in my life, Tess, came up with the idea for me to blog my gratitude. With a twist. Since I love photography, especially taking photos (and I am half way decent at it) she suggested I blog gratitude through my photography: and thus, Through the Lens, emerges. I am going to make it my personal goal to keep my written journal of appreciation every day, then on average, once or twice a week to post a little written word about gratitude, joined with photo representations of things I am grateful for. Explanations of the photos will come with them.

I welcome you to this blog, where I promise to do my very best at remaining positive and grateful. Where I take the time to deliberately focus on the seemly incidental good things in my life to recognize that as a whole, life is good and full of amazing things if we just stop to take the time to see them.